What's that you said? BRAT....

I am nearing the day most mothers dread, my oldest child Jon will turn 21 in just a couple of weeks!

My heart is so full of pride for him I could just burst, you see my son has aspergers. This disease is one of a very high functioning autism. He wasn't diagnosed until in high school. Of course I heard all of the teachers comments about him being ADD and ADHD most of his school career, but something always felt, well, just not right about it. When I received the call from a therapist at the high school requesting permission for him to be tested and the suggestion that I look it up and see what my opinion was about it. Of course I agreed and was shocked, amazed, relieved, and finally felt hope for him. He is in college now and still suffers with some anxiety surrounding his disorder, but otherwise he is a fine man.

He has been planning this birthday for at least two years now with his brother Corey who is one year and five days younger then Jon. Jon has never drank ANYTHING containing alcohol so these brothers have now planned that Corey is taking him out for his 21st birthday, buying his drinks and being the sober driver for him. This of course is a trade off that Jon will return the favor next year for Corey, who has A LOT of experience with drinking!

Here's the hitch...Corey will at that time be in the military. He has chosen to serve this great country as an Army Civil Engineer. He is due to take his testing and get sworn in soon (he would have done it already had his mommy not asked him to be home for just one more Christmas). I am very proud of this young man and the choices he is making for his life as well. When we talked about him entering the Army he said "Mom, no drill sergeant will ever be as hard, as loud, as scary, as motivating as you were with us kids growing up!" I of course laughed and replied "I wasn't called sergeant mom for nothing!" We laughed knowing the truth behind those words and that no matter how much we tried to play it down there really was no other way for a single mother of 4 to work 2 full time jobs and keep them in line as well.

My children are my whole world. Without them I don't know if I would be the person I am today. I have learned so much from them over the years, the tears I cried with them over broken hearts, the anger from frustrations trying to communicate, the times we just took the good with the bad and held onto each other. They are all almost grown now and my home is getting quieter by the year. I don't like to think of myself as an empty nest mom, I prefer to think of it as "brat free time".

For now that will have to be enough on the kids...there is so much more to tell, this is only the start of my "Brat blogs".