Judd, my prince charming

Every now and then I get a glimpse of how quickly my kids are growing up.  On Monday I laid out Judd's kinder uniform to get him ready for the day and after making lunch and tidying the kitchen I walked back into his room to discover him standing there already dressed and carefully buttoning up his shirt.  The moment only last for about 30seconds but I stood there and watched with mixed emotions of pride and sadness.  I am so proud of him for getting dressed by himself but I am also sad that these are the first steps he will take towards not needing him mumma as much.  He is such a sensitive and gentle boy, I truly adore him.  He knows when I am having a sad day or a hard day and he always comes up to me with a cuddle and a kiss and says such sweet things like " I love you so much mumma, you have the most beautiful eyes" or " mumma you are the best mum, I love you"  I mean whose heart doesn't melt after hearing something like that.  I have said to Marcus on many occasions that Judd will make some lucky girl the best husband and that he should take some tips from Judd on how to say nice things to a lady.
Judd was never a hard baby, just the usual sleep issues and refusing to eat certain foods but he is always well behaved, never hits or hurts anyone and would never say a bad word, even to his sister who bullies him a little bit and steals his toys.  He is so gentle to our new puppy Sticker and says all the time what a beautiful baby girl she is and cuddles her so carefully.  He listens when I speak to him even though he may not do what I ask all the time. 
The only worry I have is how he is going to handle school and kids that bully.  Right now he is in Kindergarten and the children there are very well behaved but there is one teacher for each class and 3 assistants so there is always an adult watching and caring for them, but in Primary or when we go back to Australia the teacher to student ratio is much much greater and therefore the children aren't watched as closely and certain bad behaviour can be missed, I mean why else is bulling such a big problem?  Children aren't mean by nature, it is how they are raised and nurtured and guided through problems.  Parents have the majority of the responsibility but I also believe that schools and teachers have a huge role to play in children's lives and the development of their personalities, we are sending them there 6 hours a day for 5 days a week, they spend more daylight hours with their schools than they do with their parents.  I want to protect Judd with every fibre of my body from mean little children and the nasty things they can say and do but I am also aware that he needs to learn to stand up for himself and defend himself if necessary, not to fight but to learn to be able to rise above unfriendly situations.  I have no idea how to do this and I am sure there are alot of parents who feel the same way. 


Chillin in the back of a baht bus.

I don't want to be a helicopter mum, I want him to grow up knowing that I am here, always, and that he can be independent and an individual but that at the end of the day he comes home to his mum and dad and contributes to the family unit as well.  This of course is many years from now but just look at how fast the last 4 years have gone, pretty soon we will reach this stage of life and I know that I must lay the ground work now in these early years in order to be ready for the rampage of the teenage years.  If he is anything like his dad we will have our hands full but he had a strong loving mother and in the end he turned out more than ok and is the best dad and husband and I am truly very lucky to have married him.