Today, Brendan officially turns 11.

So close to being a teenager.

But in his mother’s eyes, he is still very much a child.

Nothing much has changed in him.

Hee…. Except for a higher ego, a little more stubbornness,  more and more wisdom, an upgraded skill to listen to mommy’s grievances, elevated feelings when reprimanded, and that superb gaming skills.

Seriously, this transitional stage is not easy.

Imagine… striving to get more respect from siblings, a little more confidence from the adults, and learning to make more independant decisions.

[Yeap, we have gone through that before and we know.]

Looking back…these 11 years we have spent so many moments of ups and downs together.

I remember those many worrying moments spent together at the A&E in the hospital when I would receive those alarming calls from school. We always have each other for self-comfort.

I recollect those few years when our young boy was “playing the man’s role at home” while Papa was working in a distant land.  Like Darren, he has always been my emotional pillar and my closest companion.

I think fondly of those many moments of pride that he has brought to us, always giving his best shots in anything that he participates in. 

Yes, we have many treasured moments of laughters and tears together.

By being there for him all the time, I guess it has also built this close relationships between us.

Seriously, I really do not want these special feelings to slip away….

Being the eldest son,

He has to experience our unexperimented parenting methods, our high expectations, our highly protective style and getting more demands from us to be a model elder brother.

From him, we learn to be a better parent.

On him, we practise our trials and errors.

We make mistakes as adults and we might not be using the most effective parenting methods on him.

Yet, he has never lost his trust and faith in us and has never uttered a word of grievances on the plans that we have been making for him.

So far.

I thank him for letting us have an easier experience being parents.

Despite his shortcomings, I am thankful for a boy…

who has never let me worry when it comes to his studies.

who has shown understanding when it comes to our objections.

who has always been giving me all his well wishes.

who lends a ear to his mommy.

who is very eager to learn.

who does not exert high demands on us.

It is our greatest privilege to have a son….

who never fails to surprise us with how much he knows.

who gives me sudden words of motivations especially when I start labelling myself old.

who never fails to point mommy and Papa to the right route directions when we are lost.

who will climb the highest mountain with us as long as we have each other.

Well, this is a long post. 

No amount of words can describe our love for him.

———-

Dear Brendan,

On your special day, Papa, mommy and little bro wish you “Abundance of Good Health and Happiness” and as your Chinese name implies “Bravery and Forever Wisdom”.  To you, your wish for 1,000 kisses from us within a month, is more important than any gift that we are buying for you.  To us, we want you to know that our love for you is worth much more than those 1,000 kisses.

Happy Birthday, Our Beloved Son!

We hope you will recover from your gastric flu soon and we will buy you your fave birthday cake again when you can can start eating normally.

With Luv,

Mama

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