“Boys are beyond the range of anyone’s sure understanding, at least when they are between the ages of 18 months and 90.” (-James Thurber)

My son Eric has over the years sent me flowers for many occasions, and since he knows I love tulips, I have often gotten those from him for Mother’s days and birthdays, etc. I think one of the reasons I like them so much is that I always associate them with Eric.

When I was pregnant with him, back in the ‘70’s, they didn’t routinely do ultrasounds, and people didn’t necessarily know the sex of their babies. In fact, when Eric was born, I remember us being absolutely thrilled at the news that his dad was going to be allowed in the delivery room—back then, that was considered a very progressive hospital.

I thought I would have a little girl. I didn’t know much about little boys. Eric was born on January 9^th, 1977, on the night we moved to Charlottesville, VA, in a snowstorm, on Superbowl Sunday. I always thought Eric was just anxious to see the new digs. Upon our arrival at the hospital in the very early hours of the morning, I was told that my doctor I’d been visiting for 9 months was on vacation and one of his partners would be delivering our baby.

When that doctor arrived, he told me he’d just taped Beethoven’s 6^th Symphony in his car on the way to the hospital, and he asked if he could play it for us in the delivery room. (Is the pope Catholic?!) I was absolutely thrilled, and said that that was fine with me, if he would also dim the lights once Eric was born—so it pleases me to know that Eric came into this world and that his very first life experiences featured soft lights and the sounds of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.

Maybe that partially contributed to his being a good guy today. (Eric, don't kill me now!)

“One of the best things in the world to be is a boy; it requires no experience, but needs some practice to be a good one.” (-Charles Dudley Warner)