I have always said that my favorite age for boys is from 8 until sometime in the 12 - 13 year old range. This is a time when boys are really discovering themselves, their personalities are somewhat developed, a sense of humor is being refined, yet their childhood curiosity and affection is still very much present.
They are inquisitive, opinionated, and cute all at the same time. Life is full of discovery, fun, while they are experiencing the pure joy of living. Being with them allows a parent (or grandparent) to share the unspoiled happiness and wonderment of life. Although each child ( or grandchild) is exceptional in their own unique way there is always something special about the first. The oldest reaches life’s stages first, and is the natural leader of the pack that follows.
Jake is my oldest grandchild and he is in the “Greatest Age for a Boy”. It is a very special time for me. He has always been a terrific child and has brought an entirely new fulfillment to my life. One of the most wonderful times of my adult life was a two day trip that I took to Niagara Falls with Jake. We did all the tourist activities, took thousands of great photos, and just had the grandest of times being together. Two friends. It was one of those perfect moments in life that when they occur you wish to freeze in one’s memory so you can savor the feelings forever. We also had similar feelings and experiences of joy when we went to take photos of Cleveland and visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for a “Special Day with Papa and Jake” gift that I was given for my birthday. It was the greatest gift that anyone could give me. One on one time, just being together( I did receive the same from his two brothers but those are chapters in their story’s).
Jake has been the most well behaved, serious, studious, yet so full of humor and wonderful curiosity and analysis of all the contradictions in life. He has always been able to make accurate and detailed observations about news, people, and ask probing questions concerning why and how things are the way they are. Many of these deep thoughts are unanswerable yet he will persist until satisfied. Typical “Jake” is a term that we use for his or anyone’s serious approach to life and how to examine the meaning of everything in order to point out the overlooked aspects or contradictions.
Since early childhood Jake has practiced following his parents rules and limits. I remember once when we were together and I offered him a piece of gum and he replied, as a matter of fact, “my Mom doesn’t let me chew gum (a chapter in Mom Michelle’s story)” and proceeded to explain why she didn’t allow gum chewing at that age. So “Jake” . I believe all ( Grace may be the exception) other grandchildren would jump at the chance to have gum or candy and some ( one for sure) would just say “sure, but don’t tell my Mom”.
We have always shared the humor of great commercials and silly claims by advertisers and this has been a continual topic that has brought us much delight. He doesn’t watch TV much but certainly remembers all the commercials and shares his great insights with me about each. The contradictions, untruths, and humor in life will always be shared between us. Typical of this is the previous post on this blog that Jake and I wrote about the new cell phone ban. We had a great time listing all of the things that should be outlawed.
Since he was small, Jake has been a very self demanding, perfectionist and very hard working person. Less than perfect equates to failure and he strives for perfectness in everything. This has made him very successful in the sports in which he participates. He out works and out thinks most other kids along with his natural talent. It is frustrating sometimes because he expects no errors and anything less disappoints him.
A typical Jake is currently occurring. Each person in his 6th grade class was to select a topic of their choice for a report and speech. Other children selected sports or Olympic heroes, sports teams, Presidents, etc. Jake chose “The Vietnam War” because he wanted to learn all about the war. So “Jake”.
Jake's guitar is his special personal activity and his special talent. He is so disciplined that he takes his ginormous dog, Jack, with him up to his room and will play his guitar for hours. His love of dogs, music, studies, and his family is one of things that make him so special.
Jake is the oldest of the cousins and every other cousin, brother and sister look up to him as the role model. He gladly accepts this role and is kind and most unselfish to each child in the family. Jake mixes with the youngest or the grandparents just as easily so he is in high demand at gatherings.
Jake recently was awarded the “Pride of North Royalton” as a role model student. This significant recognition was given by his teachers who chose the student in 6th grade best exemplifying the qualities of a role model. He also earned the “Bear” award for a 4.0 GPA which all have come to expect from him.
Jake wins the “Pride of my life” award from me.
All this and he is just simply a great kid, a true friend, and someone who shares so many interests with his Papa. It is the greatest age for Jake and the greatest time in my life.
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