Twenty-one

DJ turned 21 last week. Twenty-one!

I remember when he was born and we named him Daniel Joseph. We loved the strong name. Its connection to family was important to us. We did wonder if his nickname would ever be DJ. We tried in on for size but decided if we wanted to call him DJ we would need to name him DJ. We sort of like the name you go by and your given name to be one and the same (stuffy and old fashioned I know - but hey, it's just the way we roll).

Which is probably why we go by John, Kathleen, Shannon, James and Daniel instead of using the nicknames Johnny, Kathy, Shanni, Jimmy and Danny. Doesn't that just crack you up to read those nicknames and think of us? It sure does me!

Father son moment - Papa style :)

The depth of the love I have for my three kids is equal across the board. The character, turns, nuances and reasons for that love is varied and every growing. As the baby, Daniel was in that unique position of always being the youngest (not only in our immediate family but of all the cousins). As the baby he also got to "do and see things" sooner than the others simply because Shannon and James existed in his world. And as the baby his schedule, his coming and goings and even his exposure to the world around him were often dictated by the other 4 people in his family. 

Cards first then a treasure hunt for gifts

Nature vs nurture is an age old query. I subscribe to the theory it is always, always, always a bit of both. After raising three completely different children I firmly believe each child is born with an inherent God-given disposition and an array of gifts to share with the world. I know they are also born with the ability to soak up the world around them like a sponge. We tried to surround our children with unconditional love, firm boundaries, right from wrong and plenty of playful humor (John provided that - I'm not that humorous :))

Between the gifts from nature and the love from nurture, he managed to grow into an outstanding young man (in spite of the things we didn't do quite right). He has a gentle nature; kind and sensitive spirit; diverse interests and friends; excellent work ethic; strong sense of values; clear sense of right and wrong; he takes time to observe and think things through; he's neat, organized, thoughtful, honest and deliberate; he is an old soul; he is self managed; observes people and the world around him; thinks things through and weighs options. He's pretty cool. He's our Daniel. 

Happy Birthday DanMan.
We love you from here to the moon and back again.