Legal And All

When a woman becomes pregnant with her second child, she begins to think of all the joys that lie ahead and the new adventures. She also thinks about the things she might do different this time. After all, she’s more experienced, less likely to panic over fevers, fussy babies, and painful vaccinations for baby and mama.

By the second time around, my first child had nine years on him, and so did I! I had learned all kinds of things by then; so you can imagine my surprise when nothing seemed to be the same after all; the challenges were totally different from the get-go, and as much as I thought I was ahead of the game – I soon learned I was really just a rookie, starting all over again.

Boy is it ever true, that no two children are alike. My first born was quiet, artistically motivated from an early age, and didn’t care much for outside activities.  My second born was high energy out of the birth- canal-gate; as a matter of fact – he stood-up the last two months of my pregnancy, and was born the same way.  I think if there had been some way to smuggle some wheels “on the inside” he would have came out peddling!

At two months he was fighting to sit-up and take a bottle; there was nothing that was going to happen that he didn’t know about it. And from five years of age and tee-ball – he played a sport of some kind all the way through to his senior year of high school.

Other than white-knuckling, white water-rafting and mountain climbing, every other hobby has been tried and learned; and I’m holding my breath on the two afore-mentioned – because there are just some things a mama’s heart can’t take. Heck some half-frozen bull-frogs leaping out at me from my freezer one early Sunday morning, almost made me see Jesus!

He’s always been full of life, spunk, adventure and heart. No matter the world we live in, he still picks-up strangers who need a ride, from one end of Quincy to another, and makes conversation with them like he’s known them his whole life. He always gives everyone the benefit of the doubt, a trait that I thought would wear-thin with time and age – but he’s still that person who believes in folks until they give him a reason otherwise.

He’ll be twenty-one years old in a few days, the age of all things legal. He’s a pretty amazing human being, an adult in every sense of the word. And he’s also very honest – as he told one of his best buddies whose birthday was a few weeks ago “We have done more stupid things together than I would like to admit, and something tells me that the good Lord had both of our 21^st birthdays planned for a Sunday since we were born”.  

Happy 21^st Birthday, Zachary David Helms – everybody in the village including myself and your dad, and your grandparents – are awfully proud of who you’ve become – and can’t wait to see where you’re going.


copyright Michelle Mount Mims
Previously published @ The Havana Herald