On Turning Six

Another birthday arrives today and with it a sense of time marching on. Today the youngest member of our little family turns six.

And it’s a birthday he has been counting down to for a while now, having made his own birthday ‘advent’ calendar and excitedly running in to see us each morning and declaring the date and just how many more days it is to his birthday. He is super excited and has made it clear he will no longer be little once he is six, despite me reminding him that he will always, to me, be my littlest.

I can scarcely believe my little H is six, but six he is and I think this last year has been such a big year for him. Lots of things seemed to have clicked for him. His speech, whilst not perfect, is certainly vastly improved. His reading is on the cusp of being fully independent and his writing is coming on well too. He is still very much a maths whizz and will often roll his eyes and sigh when we work through his maths, declaring it as too easy. I’ve yet to find something maths-wise that challenges him in any real way, although I am sure I will at some stage. We continue however to work through his books in order and offering additional challenges along the way.

It’s inevitable that he is compared to his siblings, and in doing so it becomes clear just how very different to them both he is. He is much more of a ‘do-er’ and problem solver than Em and Daniel. He will spend time looking at how something works and creating his own things and problem solving them. He is creative with his marble runs and magformers and I find him spending hours creating his own games and experiments. This last week or two he has been racing his various hot wheel cars and grouping them into different skills. He will play games of Monopoly, sitting various teddies around the board, or inventing a version where he plays against the bank. The rules are ever more complex but he understands them, and has even roped his siblings into playing these ‘improved’ rules.

Harry is very hands on and, where Daniel would prefer to sit and read about how something works, H would much rather get stuck in and figure it out through trial and error. He is relaxed about making mistakes and will ask for help if he needs it. He is a contented and happy child and shrugs off any errors he makes along the way, putting it down to one of those things and learning from it for the future.

He loves all things football and his Match season tracker was completed each and every Sunday, using the Sunday Times Sports section to make sure the teams were in the right spot. His beloved Spurs were the cause of a few tears this season, but he was always able to console himself that at least they weren’t having as bad a season as his Dad’s team! This year saw him go to his first Premier League game with Damian; a night match at Old Trafford (a rare win too!). He loved it and couldn’t believe the noise. There’s something magical about being in a large football stadium, especially at night, and I know this will be a memory for him. He keeps an eye on the local team too and likes to chat to the Postman about how Stockport are doing, even chasing after him one very rainy Saturday morning to tell him how he had seen and held the trophy the evening before. Football will, I am sure, continue to dominate his interests, especially this winter when we have the World Cup.

He has also enjoyed taking part in the mini Manchester Run, complaining that I slowed him down too much, which to be fair is probably an accurate statement! He has recently started cricket too and has been enjoying those sessions. He is strong and determined and never complains when we are out walking. He gets on with it and powers through, He is very physical, but knows his own limitations. He isn’t keen on being high, so you won’t spot him climbing trees and climbing frames with the same enthusiasm and confidence of his siblings, he will still sometimes reach for my hand when he jumps from a wall or similar and will often simply decide it’s too high.

He never lacks confidence, and will often go up and confidently chat to people. We often laugh at how he is able to command an audience and has no problems talking in front of anyone about pretty much anything. It can often be tricky to get him to stop chattering quite so much! There have been moments though this year when I have been reminded of just how little he still is, and the toll that lockdowns and Covid have taken on him. In September last year, he started Spanish classes and he was so upset going into the lessons, needing cuddles and reassurance beforehand. He put his puffin teddy into his bag as a little comfort and was proud to tell me a few weeks later that he didn’t need the puffin anymore. He now looks forward to his lessons and runs in happily. I don’t see many effects from Covid but that has, perhaps, been the most noticeable one.

He loves to tell a story and does so with such an earnest expression. When he tells you something he thinks is revelatory he has a particular look of almost disbelief as he imparts the news to you. Just the other day, whilst armed with a spirit level my Dad gave him, he came to tell me he had found ‘something not straight in our house’. When I asked him what it was he said ‘you know that thing that stops you falling off the stairs and being dead’.  He meant the banisters. He proudly sat his spirit level atop and pointed out how it definitely wasn’t straight!

He is very able to self-entertain and is as easy in his own company as he is with friends. He is determined when he is working on something that he will complete it. He completed a 500 piece jigsaw that he got for Christmas and was focused on finishing it solely on his own and with absolutely no one assisting him in any way. It took him a decent amount of time but he was immensely satisfied when he managed to complete it.

Above all Harry is happy and smiley. Yes, there are the inevitable temper flare-ups and blow ups with his siblings, usually when he has lost at football! But he is, on the whole, happy, content and always smiling.

H has been desperate for his birthday to arrive and despite today, being a Big Six, I know he will have come into our room and given me a big cuddle this morning. He will have his beloved Beach monkey tucked under his elbow and he will be holding court on his special day.  He might think he is a big boy, but deep down I know he’s still the little one, still wants a hug from mum, and will delight in those moments when we are cuddled up together.

Happy Birthday my (Little) H x