Will Canada
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2005
Profile
Age: 4 Chronology
2001: born June 28 in Laurinburg, NC 2002: baptized 2003: begins talking in earnest 2005:
becomes superhero Quotations “Essie, you want to watch me fly downstairs?” “Batman to the rescue!” “I want to tear something up, Dad.” Updated July
21, 2005 |
We have always loved him, of course, and over the first few years of his life have seen him take a number of first steps, both the literal ones and other kinds. Over the last year or so, however, we have fallen in love with him all over again as his fascinating and delightful personality has emerged. No longer just the same wonder of nature that all children are, Will is now his own personal wonder. Just about every parent wants a polite child, and Will—after what sometimes seemed like more fits than starts—is that, but he is something more. He has a remarkable capacity for love, nowhere more evident than in his adoration of his sister, Esprit. They have their share of squabbles—around two to three thousand a day, according to conservative estimates—but Will continually amazes his parents with the little acts of love he shows for his sister. When he gets good news, word that we are going out for some fun or having pizza for dinner, he has to share it with her: “Essie, we going to a playground!” Often, if he picks up a little treat, he makes sure to get one for his sister, as well, even though we never made that a rule. We never had to. One day, when Essie was at a craft camp and Will was with me for the morning, I took him to the grocery and picked up some ice cream bars for him. After we got back to the car, he told me wanted to “surprise Essie.” Then there is Will’s sense of humor—yes, a bit on the scatological side at times, but also with an appreciation of irony. He loves to laugh, almost as much as we love to hear him laugh. Indeed, Will just loves to experience the world, especially the parts of it that have to do with balls and superheroes. When the excitement becomes too great, as it often does, his joy becomes visible: like a pot of water coming to a boil, he can no longer contain his excitement, and he starts to hop. There is more to our little four-year-old, of course: his amazing memory, his rifle arm—his dad has not yet decided whether to put him on the mound, on the left side of the infield, or on another key point on the diamond—his emerging sense of imagination, and his affection for his best friend, Luis. Best of all, we know there is more to come.
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Watching
Will unfold has been one of the great joys of our lives.