First. Born.

If you are a parent, you will always remember your first born. Even if you have many children, the first born introduced you into parenthood---a place I had never visited, knew little about, and was not sure I would be very good at doing. Now, with a total of six children, I think I have a pretty good idea of what this “parenthood” thing is all about.

This past week, I celebrated---along with my son---a milestone. He is now 26, and I have been a Dad for half my life. I know which one is bigger, but just knowing where I stand as a father, is kind of mind blowing to me.

So, let’s focus on the first-born---my son, Jason.

Jase took a long time to come into this world; for more than 30 hours and 20 additional days (past his due date) he burst on to the scene in June 1984. He let everyone know about it the moment he took his first breath. Let’s just say Jason was not a good sleeper, had a ferocious appetite, and certainly introduced us to parenthood whether we were ready or not. He is so different now it’s hard to believe he is the same kid (sorry, but he is still a kid to me).

One of the first things I noticed about Jason as he grew up was how inquisitive he is about what was going on in his world. He loved the normal boy things, boys like: Such as trucks (pronounced “gucks” when he was young), firemen---we would go to the nearby fire station at least once a day so he could look at the fire engines— Dumbo, and sports. But, when it came to sports, this is where Jason and I differed from one another. He liked all of the other teams that I didn’t like. I love the Chicago Bulls, he loves the Milwaukee Bucks; I love the St. Louis Cardinals, he loves the Tampa Rays---he also loves the Tampa Bay Lightening and I don’t really follow hockey. Good thing he didn’t like curling or badminton---I would have wondered what happened?

If there is one thing that truly defines my son, it’s politics; he really knows his stuff. Although suffering a slow start when he was in grade school---for example he described Gorbachev as having a “red blotch on his head” in a paper---he moved on to take real interest in the topic. He has met many politicians in his life-- one of the first was former VP Walter Mondale---who we met in London. Throughout our European journey, we saw he and his family a number of times and Jason wanted to talk to him every time. I assured him he wanted to be left alone. Besides this is a kid who wore a cowboy hat purchased in Ponca City, OK and wore it every place we visited while we travelled around Europe. Think you could tell we were tourists?

So where does this take us?

Move ahead a decade and you will find a man who has followed his passion. He took a journalism course in high school and today he makes a living doing it; he is one heck of a writer and has wisely moved into the digital world just like the rest of us. Now he has taken his passion a step further----no he still likes the Milwaukee Bucks---he has met someone who is showing him what life is all about. Nothing could make me happier.

The photo above is of Jason “Jase” Rosenbaum and his girlfriend, Lauren. To see them together is to know he has grown up a lot from the days when he had a ferocious appetite, cried at the drop of a hat, and didn’t know a red blotch from a birthmark. That’s my son Jason---my firstborn!

Thanks for stopping by.