Yesterday, we threw an ultra violet disco for our eight-year-old son's birthday!
Our little man, the second youngest of a family of six, is the quietest one out of them all. He is the kid who very rarely gets told off, but when he does, you feel traumatised for doing so. His whole face breaks but he makes no sound and you are left feeling guilty for something he has done!
Yep, he is that quiet kid!
He has always been a quiet soul. Even as a baby, before my wife to be and I got together, his sister who is sixteen months older, would be the vocal one! Since then, even at school, as soon as a parents' evening comes up, his teacher would always say how great he is in class shortly followed by how quiet he is!
This year, is our children's year of parties. Cue 30+ children in one large room, running, dancing and ear drums slowly dying by the extra loud stereo the entertainment has provided.
We weren't sure how our little man would be at his party yesterday; it could have gone two ways, he would shy away or jump right into it!
But suddenly, the release of the balloons, and the decorating of the hall before the guests arrived and our little man was ecstatic - bursting with joy and happiness for a party that was solely focused on him.
Cracking out his robotic dance moves, giggling like a hyena and all glowed up with ultra violet face paint, our little man was in his absolute element.
It wasn't the presents or even the food, or having all his class friends attending his party which made yesterday memorable to us, but seeing our little man shine with such confidence and seeing him come out of his shell was more than any parent could ask for.
It doesn't matter to us if he is quiet or loud, as his character always cracks us up (did I mention how random he is, bursting into sporadic facts about goodness knows what at the least expected moment), but seeing that transformation before our eyes was incredible! And just then we realised, no matter how quiet he is, we knew that at the right moments, or any given moment, just his character alone can carry him through life. More confidence will come with age, but even though our child is quiet he is certainly not without character - his uniqueness is already fully fledged!
Our little boy may have glowed with special paint yesterday but to us, he was simply a star that lit up the whole room as well as our hearts.
And just because your child is quiet - watch out, because that moment will come when they will shock you with their sudden found confidence - they're just waiting for that perfect time to let it out!
Our little man (Personal photo)