A letter to my eldest son of his 5th birthday

Dear Jackson,
Five years ago today I became a father. There is a song lyric that goes something like: The years go fast, but the days go slow," and that is how I feel today.
I fear you may have inherited my mild case of social anxiety. Just like me, you are open and talkative and funny and interested and smart until you walk into a room full of strangers or a room with more than three people in it. You don't like being put on the spot, and you don't like performing tricks like a trained monkey. You like playing, but you don't really like sports, especially team sports. You don't like to join it in things like wearing your Halloween costume to school, preferring instead to watch the action from afar. You tend to find a little corner and play by yourself within your amazing imagination. I used to think that was kind of sad, but I don't any more because that's how I was and still am to a certain extent, I'm okay with that. You are so much like me in so many ways, it gets a little frightening at times because I can sense what you are thinking because I'm thinking the same thing. It's weird and awesome.
You are so dang smart, and I love that. You would rather watch NOVA or the Science Channel than Sponge Bob or Power Rangers, and even when you do want pure escapism, it's Star Wars or something. I know people are thinking we are turning you into a little nerd, but I don't care. I guess there could be an argument for nature vs. nurture here, but you tend to gravitate gravitate to that stuff on your own, and I guess you can't fight what's in your genes, because you come from a long and proud line of nerds. I just hope you do something with it, because the rest of us seem to be overly educated and unmotivated all at the same time. Like just knowing things is good enough for us.
You also have the biggest heart of any kid I've ever met. There is a lot of love in there, and at times you seem to not know where to put it all. Like how you keep saying you want a sister, and how you want to name her, but you don't know what name because you'll have to decide when you meet her. That right there, where you love your non-existent sister so much you can't stand it. That's what I'm talking about. You also love your brother more than anything and want to teach him things. The whole reason you two share a bed room and a bed is because you lobbied for it for a whole year.
I hope this next year, when you go back to school, and keep learning and keep living and keep figuring out how this world works and how you fit into it, that you stay happy and stay weird and stay awesome.

I love you, buddy.

-Daddy.