My youngest son Sean turned 20 this week, and I've used that as an excuse to dig out some old Father Knows Nothing columns about him. Those first few years I did the column Sean was the star because he was home all day with me while his brothers were at school. At the time I wrote this about him, Sean was four years old. That's him on the far right, above.
Here’s a question that Bridget and I have never
asked: “Is Sean awake?”
Sean is loud. When he wakes up in the morning, he is already talking. He
continues talking for the rest of the day, pausing only to breathe
occasionally. The most common question we hear from people who spend a whole
day with him is: “Does he ever stop talking?”
No. He doesn’t. He provides a running commentary on every single thing he sees
throughout a day. He’s talking right now. He talks when eats. He talks when
you’re talking. He even talks in his sleep. When I ask him to be quiet, he
isn't quiet enough to hear me.
If you can get past the noise, however, Sean has some great qualities. He’s
very intelligent and inquisitive, and his enthusiasm is absolutely contagious.
Every single thing is a big deal to him, and that’s fun to watch.
Last night when I asked him what he wants to be when he grows up, he was so
excited by the question he couldn’t stop giving me possibilities. After talking
it out, he narrowed it down to two choices. He is either going to be a doctor
so he can give out band-aids to everyone (he believes that band-aids cure
everything), or a fireman because he likes the hats.
My prediction? Politician.
