Dear son, you are five today.

Dear son,I wrote an open letter to you when you turned 4. I figured I might write one more as you turn five today. At this rate, I just might make this an annual affair. Without further ado, lets get to the matter.Last year, I had the luxury of writing stuff I wanted and not having a worry in the world as to how you would take it because you weren't really reading anything then. Things are very different now. You read. You actually read big words and sentences. Pretty remarkable how quickly you have grown in the last year. So in honor of your reading skill, I'll try not to use big words in this post. Just in case you figure out a way to get to my blog. You never know.You are a big boy now. Not too long ago, you were this little thing no longer than my arm. And now, you are refusing to hold that very hands that lifted you all day, every day. Life has changed. You may not miss it. Your mother does. I do too. All the time.Weekends are such a joy with you and your mother and I cant wait for it to arrive soon enough. But then there is an added incentive as you are something else during the weekdays. Dude, riddle me this- How many times do I have to tell you that I need to get to work in the morning and things dont happen miraculously?. How many times do I tell you that you cant eat without brushing your teeth nor can I eat your breakfast?. And dude, when you climb onto the car, just find your seat and sit. Is that so hard, really?We are thrilled that you have taken to music big time. We love that you want to listen to music all the time and also sing your favorite songs. But just keep this in mind- as you grow older, your peers will introduce you to noise of various forms. We have our own little heaven in songs like Jugni Ji, the nottuswaras of Dikshitar or the melodies of Ilaiyaraja. Let not any other noise invade our souls. Not that there is anything wrong with that. But just saying. Also, whining does not constitute music, if you ever had any misconceptions on the matter.For a long time, I never figured why my colleagues at work had their kids art in their cubes. It was kids art. What was the big deal. But now I know. With every picture you draw, my chest puffs with pride and I cant wait to share it with people or with your grandparents. It was never about the art, was it?I continue to be thrilled by your selection of women you want to marry someday. Your latest choice has my full approval. This time you have progressed to making baby plans with her- twins no less. That may be overreaching IMHO but hey, I am not stopping you from dreaming. You continue to make choices like her and you have an ally in me.We had our issues in getting you to drive a bike without trainer wheels. I did push you beyond your comfort zone. But dont you get the kick now that you have mastered it?. Take this quote from your dad's favorite kid's book - "Try them, try them, and you may!. Try them and you may, I say." Just promise you'll give everything a shot. I assure you, you wont regret it.I like the fact that you like to talk. Very much so. But occasionally it may be a good idea to listen to your mom. This is one solid piece of advice I can give you, having known her for 14 years now. While on the topic of your mom, she loves it that you snuggle up to her. Just so you know.When you were a couple of months old, your mom and I had this huge argument over co-sleeping. She was very much adamant that you should sleep next to us. I wasn't a big fan of the idea. Fast forward to a month ago when you finally banished me from your room. I can't tell you how much I miss sleeping in your room- listening to your random musings before going to sleep and your snuggling up to me in the morning. It was the first time I realized that you were not a kid anymore. It broke my heart.You finally woke up to superheroes and Transformers this year. Thank Goodness for that. We have a lot to talk about. While I share your ardent admiration of Optimus, I have to say that Megatron deserves a chance too. Poor sod. He isn't as bad as he is made out to be. He is just a survivor. On the same topic, great that you like Iron Man. Not sure what you see in Spiderman. The dude sucks. Really, really!On the subject of toys, during one of those regular toy cleanups in your room this year, you actually asked me to toss out your Thomas toys. For a long time, I couldn't wait for you to get past those holier-than-thou Brit trains and move onto cooler stuff like superheroes. But when it really happened, I was shattered. You see, I associate Thomas to your 2s and 3s. Another sign that you are growing up and I didn't like that thought one bit. So yes, I have all your Thomas toys stashed away. Aint trashing them, evah!I think I have written and shared enough. I will now go back to looking at your pictures and videos over the last five years. Time flies so fast. I miss the 0 year you, the 1 year you, the 2 year you, the 3 year you and now, the 4 year you. A lot.If you ever get to reading this, I have one piece of advice on your birthday. Soar, my boy, Soar!. The world is waiting for you. Fly high and fly free. Let not anything hold you back.Happy Birthday, my very own Superhero.Signed,Dad.