Seven

Today, the youngest member of the family turns seven. He has been counting down the hours – quite literally – all week long and will be a mass of excitement today.

We did have a small celebration on Monday when we surprised him with tickets to the England game. I took him over to Old Trafford after his Spanish class and he loved it. There were definitely some pre-match nerves and he only really seemed to relax at 5-0! But to see his hero score twice was wonderful for him, and he looked across at me halfway through and said it was a great game. It was a hot and humid evening at the top of the stands in Old Trafford but he loved every second of it. And seven goals seemed somewhat fitting for a seventh birthday.

Harry absolutely lives and breathes football. He loves Spurs still and that has, for this season, meant tears when results haven’t quite panned out. There has of course been the World Cup which he enjoyed watching (as many games as he possibly could!) and we all went to the Stockport v Carlisle Play Off Final at Wembley. Football is such a big part of his life and each Sunday he reads the sports section of the Sunday Times and updates his Match league table chart…. he’s eagerly awaiting the 2023/24 season chart to arrive.

As he turns seven, Harry is such a character and a half. Never one to shy away from the spotlight, and he revels in being centre stage at family events. He rarely shows a lack of confidence and his enthusiasm for things is to be admired. He gives his all to everything he does and there isn’t much be won’t try. He knows his strengths and recognises his own limitations and reluctance.

He is very much a hands-on doer – always messing and playing with his cars or building marble runs or Lego creations. He will spend hours trying to build a house of cards and has real perseverance. He has also tried his hand at sewing this year, making bedding for his dragon’s using the sewing machine as well as doing an embroidery hoop for me for Mother’s day. He has a clear sense of what he wants and can be direct in asking for things; informing my Dad he wanted to make beds for his dragons and when it ‘needed’ to happen by.

He has really grasped reading this year and is often found with his head in a book, although I’m not sure he’s quite found an author who grabs and holds his attention in the way the other two have; but I am sure that will come in time for him. I need to read more with him at bedtime as this is something we are doing less of as the children’s evening activities increase.

He is still very mathematically minded and as we work through the maths books there isn’t anything that seems to cause him to stop and really have to think. He is adept at mental arithmetic and applying his knowledge in ‘real world’ situations. He enjoys playing chess and it’s not uncommon for him to set games up against his beloved Beach monkey! I’m not sure I quite understand how he can play both sides, but he does and I guess it’s good practice for testing out a series of moves.

Harry is very easy in his own company but also enjoys the company of others. He adores his older siblings and loves to play with them or be involved in the things they are doing. He is excited to be following their scouting pathway and is keen to join their running club too; but another year to wait on that front. He will happily play on his own outside, entertaining himself long after the other two have given up and gone inside. And he will potter around the house too when it’s just him and I. But he enjoys the company of others, seeking out people to talk to about football and has really enjoyed having friends round to play in recent months.

He is a happy and determined little boy and is very much a starter – finisher. Where the older two can lose interest in something H will very happily continue on until completion. He recently completed a diamond art kit and I was surprised with how hard he worked on this and how much he persevered until it was done. He has a rather ambitious project plan coming up for something he will be working on, but I am sure he will manage it as he has decided it’s what he wants to work on and he’s making excellent progress so far.

Above all my little H is a character; happy and smiley and brimming with confidence. He is so excited to be 7 and I know he will be thinking about what eight will bring him in a years’s time, but for now, he will have to settle for being seven.

As he had his bath yesterday evening to wash away the mud from playing football in the garden, I asked him if he needed the stool to step onto to get out of the bath. He looked at me and said ‘Mum, don’t you think I’m all grown up, look I can just step out now’. He may think he is ‘all grown up’ but I know all too well that this birthday morning he will have got into my bed with his beloved teddies for a morning cuddle and, despite being ‘all grown up’ he will always be my Little H.

Happy birthday my littlest H.