As we moved from TheMommiesReviews.com to Grateful Moments I wanted to give you a chance to meet my family and pets. Yesterday, I invited you to pull up a chair and meet David. Today, it’s Charlie’s turn. And let me just warn you right now—there is no simple way to introduce Charlie.
Charlie is Charlie. He is fun, kind, caring, and probably one of the most unique people I know. He thinks outside the box. Actually, sometimes I think Charlie forgot there was a box to begin with. He does things his own way. He dresses his own way. He thinks his own way. And he has never been afraid to be exactly who he is.
Charlie has absolutely no filter. None. If Charlie thinks something, there is a very good chance you are going to hear about it. He might cuss you out one minute and turn around and pray for you the next. And honestly? That pretty much sums up Charlie. He has a big heart underneath all that personality.
Charlie is 18 right now and will turn 19 this year. He is working at the airport with Bradley, which was an idea I wasn’t exactly thrilled about when he first told me. But here’s the thing about being a mom to a young man who is growing up: Sometimes you have to fight your battles. Because Charlie can be Dr. Jekyl at times and Mr. Hyde other times. Sometimes I think he is Bi-Poilar.
He’s buying his first car, and he has another car sitting there waiting for him to start working on it. Because apparently one project wasn’t enough. Then there’s the gaming. Oh, the gaming. Charlie is an avid, avid, avid gamer. He streams constantly, has friends all over the world, and even owns his own gaming company. Gaming isn’t just something he does to pass the time. It’s part of who he is, and he’s built an entire little world around it.
And then there is Charlie’s fashion sense. Let’s just say that Charlie has never been afraid of color. There was the beautiful purple jacket. And when it came time for his high school graduation, Charlie chose pink and black. Most people might have looked at that and said, “Oh no.” Charlie probably looked at it and thought, “Exactly.” And that’s what makes him one of a kind.
He has talked about getting his nose pierced which now Bradley wants to do as well. He wants tattoos and yes, Bradley has them as well and David too. And yes, this momma has opinions about all of that. But I’m learning that motherhood doesn’t mean I get to make every decision forever. Sometimes it means I get to say, “Oh my goodness, please don’t do that,” and then love you just as much when you do it anyway.
Charlie is also my photographer. He’s my behind-the-scenes person. He’s the one I can turn to for the technical stuff on the blog. He helps with the things happening on the back end that most people never see. In so many ways, he’s my everything behind the scenes here at Greatful Moments.
And I don’t take that for granted but that is why he is my ride-die and go anywhere anytime of the day when he says lets go. Leaving David at home shaking his head as we peel out of the driveway music blaring on the way to QT or Walmart or heck who knows where because the sky’s the limit when your with Charlie.
Then there are his puppies. Charlie is a dog dad to two puppies, including one rescue puppy Sandy. Watching him with them is another little glimpse into that caring side of him—the side that sometimes gets hidden behind the gamer, the jokes, the clothes, the opinions, and that very famous lack of a filter.
And then there’s Makayla. Are they getting back together? Maybe. Maybe not. I have learned that some things are better left to Charlie and Makayla to figure out. Momma doesn’t need to know everything. Well… Momma would probably like to know everything. But that’s beside the point. Because as Charlie says we place it into the LORDS hands and let it marinate and when the time is right he will decide what he wants to do.
The truth is, Charlie is growing into his own person. He’s making his own choices. He’s figuring out work, cars, friendships, relationships, gaming, adulthood, and what kind of man he wants to become. And sometimes I look at him and think, How did my baby get this old? I remember the little boy. Wiggles. Waddles. Bones, Peanuts, Budda ie Budda Bear, Bear and Charlie all one person with many personalities I love and thank GOD for.
Now I’m watching a young man build his own life. And while some of his choices make this momma shake her head, worry a little, pray a lot, and occasionally say, “Are you seriously doing that?” I am also incredibly proud of him. Because Charlie isn’t trying to be anybody else. He’s Charlie and that is enough for Granny Sherry and me.
He’s creative. He’s caring. He’s funny. He’s independent. He’s a little bit wild. He’s definitely his own character. And he’s one of the people who helps make this family—and this little corner of the internet—what it is. So today, pull up a chair and meet Charlie. If you already know Charlie come and share one thing you like about Charlie.
Remember you might not always understand his choices. You might not always understand his clothes. You might definitely not understand his gaming schedule. But I promise you this: There is nobody else quite like him. And I wouldn’t trade my one-of-a-kind Charlie for anything in the world. As some people have said he is gay that is no, one’s business but Charlie’s and he says he isn’t and I believe him but if he was that is okay to because he is my son, my best friend and my life. I wouldn’t be who I am without Charlie and that makes me proud to be his mom.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates