It is said that seven is a very powerful number. According to some, it is a symbol of completeness and perfection and is marked all over the place in nature: seven colors in the rainbow, seven states of matter in the Universe, seven wonders of the world, etc. I really like the idea of completeness as it relates to my dearest oldest boy who just happened to turn…seven.

I can already see it as though a light switch was just turned on–that suddenly my boy seems more mature, more ready to take risks, able to ask a waiter in a restaurant for a napkin on his own, able to make his own sandwiches, and help and mentor kids who are younger than him. It's a completeness of babyhood, of needing every little physical aspect done for him. It's a completeness in how he has formed, in essence, of who he will be for the rest of his life. All I can do now is simply guide him in the right direction and keep a loving watch over him, although I'll have to learn to disguise it more and more. 

For his birthday what he wanted most was a skateboard. We do live in Dogtown after all, so it made sense. So he picked out what he wanted, an Element board with a Rastafarian lion and some orange wheels, and his very first stop was the park. There, overlooking the ocean, I watched Mateo bend his knees, and slowly glide down all the hills. Each time he reached the bottom he would spring up with a smile, looking for my very enthusiastic thumbs up. He was very excited indeed. 

And since that day, it has come alive for him. He stops in his tracks to watch a skateboarder race down the street, and all he wants to do is go to the skate park. 

As far as perfection as it relates to seven, Mateo has reached to perfect point to begin this leg of his journey.