When Nick was little, our very Irish daycare provider, Paddy, used to sing this song to him. He would get mad, embarrassed, and I think he hated it even more when I would sing it to him.
I was twenty when Nicholas was born, in many ways still a kid myself. Bernie was twenty-two. My criminal law clinic professor once pointed out that your brain isn't fully developed until you are twenty-five. He was trying to get us to ponder whether it was fair to subject eighteen to twenty-one year olds to the adult punishment system. In generations before us, it was common to have children in your early twenties. I however, was completely unprepared for the joys and challenges that would come along with raising the beautiful baby boy that we were blessed with.
Neither Bernie or I had finished college, I had barely started. We didn't have great jobs. On Nick's birth certificate, Bernie's occupation is listed as "Merchandiser" for Nabisco and I was a Reservations Consultant" at the Norwich Inn & Spa. I don't remember what Bernie was making at the time, but I was making $7.50/hour. We both lived with our parents, and we were not ready to get married. Looking back, I am not sure how we figured it all out, but eventually we did. How could we not? Our little blonde haired, blue-eyed boy was depending on us.
We didn't do it alone, and I am not sure we could have. Bernie and I were surrounded with (and still are) incredibly supportive parents, families, and friends. It was Hillary Clinton that said it takes a village to raise a child, and she was right. My parents put an addition on the house so that Nick and I would have a place to stay. Bernie's parents made sure that Nick wanted for nothing, and they spent countless hours with him while Bernie and I were at work or at school. My friend Bridgette's parents, Debbi and Reggie would often take him if I had a late class and Bernie had to work. We were fortunate to find great childcare providers like Andrea, Paddy, and Carolynne. The three of them really accepted Nick as part of their families during the times he was with them. Carolyn Fedus spent a summer as Nick's nanny. Nick's Godmother, Pam, was always there for us providing words of wisdom and encouragement. Nick has truly special relationships with both his Uncle Gary and his Uncle Brian. In some ways due to the relatively small age difference, I think they are more like brothers to him than uncles. Our friends would buy him toys and clothes all the time it seemed. Many of them were there to listen or take us out when we needed a break.
Even now we are grateful to have people like Jim Beman, who co-coached baseball with Bernie for many years; and Mr. Belval at St. Bernard's to help mentor Nick through his teenage years, to be a positive source of guidance, and to give Nick a place to turn to when his parents just don't understand.
Somehow we've managed to raise a (somewhat) responsible young man who is pleasure to be around, and who is an amazing big brother. Or maybe he actually raised us, I am not sure which, or that they are mutually exclusive.
As we celebrate Nick's 16th Birthday today, I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you who have been and continue to be on this journey with us. We are very fortunate to have all of you in our lives.
Without embarrassing him too much, I'll leave you with some of my favorite pictures of Nick. Happy Birthday, Buddy! We love you!
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