Ethan's Birthday

Ethan turned seven.  Sometimes I can't believe how fast time goes.  It makes me think- Am I teaching him how to be a good person, is he learning how to serve others, do I give him enough responsibility around the house, have I taught him how to know right from wrong and to make his own choices?  I can only hope the smallest part of what I'm trying to teach him is making it into his big intelligent brain. 
Ethan is my first child, so I don't have a point of reference for all of this.  He is my learning curve.  I want him to be a happy child and a successful adult- those two desires can really be hard to achieve together (especially if you ask Ethan). 
Some things I've learned:  Almost everything that is hard about your child at a certain age- they will grow out of it!;  New hard things come with every age; Don't make mountains out of mole hills; Decide ahead of time what is going to be a mountain;  Talk with you child- but more importantly LISTEN! (don't interrupt);  Routine saves you from a lot of headaches;  Lots of sugar and not enough sleep makes kids turn into monsters;  Children are always watching and they learn WAY more from your example then from what you say;  Give them chances to prove themselves;  Praise early- and often;  Be united with your spouse;  AND charity never faileth...
I don't claim to know much about parenting at all.  I get lessons everyday about how inept I am at it.  But I'm determined to be successful at doing my best and loving my kids. 
Geez- guess Ethan's birthday made me a bit introspective.  Enough about me, here is some things about Ethan:
He is super smart, funny, he likes to win, he will rise to the challenge if you let him, he can argue like a lawyer, he is so very handsome :) , he is sensitive, he LOVES to read (especially comics), he and his daddy like to share inside jokes and have similar senses of humor, he understands and applies things most adults would have a hard time getting, he is creative, he never forgets (that sounds ominous, ha ha), he is an early riser, he loves to swim, he loves video games, his favorite color is green and he likes frogs.
I'm grateful I get to be the mother of such an amazing human being.