There are so many ways that I can describe my son but when someone specifically asks me about my son, all I can say is “my son is just the best.” That is what I always say because I get tripped up in trying to “describe” my 2 year old, Jason. 

He is the best. 

It’s plain. It’s simple. It’s all encompassing. It’s who he is - the best. 

How else can you describe a little boy? A little boy who captures your entire heart, your soul, and your thoughts? A little boy who surprises you, who shows you the wonder in the world, who brightens any room he walks into. 

He is the best. 

I just always say that he is the best and then I describe a specific moment or memory to try and capture who he is to another person. Then you literally can’t get me to be quiet about my son. I could just talk and talk and talk and talk… and talk about him. 

To be clear, I am not a stay at home mom. I work full-time so it is not as if I am spending every single moment of every single day with my son and I don’t have anything else to fill my time. I definitely do. When I am with my son though, I am never more present and in the moment with him. I have laser focus on him - that’s my time with him and I am going to enjoy every single second with him. 

I think that because I am so present and I am so intentional about the time I spend with my son and the fun we have together, that I can clearly articulate so many moments and so much of his personality through storytelling. I can only truly describe my son by telling someone else a story about him. Not defining him with adjectives. 

I can’t reduce my son down to adjectives. He is too creative, too beautiful, too wholesome, too curious, too funny, too…. Etc…. to define with adjectives. He can only be shared with another person through stories about him. 

Through these stories, people can pull out some of his greatest characteristics, his physical abilities, his personality traits, and his interests. I know that is true because once I tell someone a story, they repeat back to me descriptors of who my son is. 

Storytelling is so incredibly powerful. There are countless Ted talks, research articles, and historical references proving the power of storytelling. Here are just a couple positives:

1. They foster human connection and build community.

2. Stories build understanding and empathy.

3. They activate multiple areas of the brain including your creativity, problem-solving, and short and long-term memory. 

4. Stories also help define your values, core beliefs, perspectives, aspirations, goals, etc… 

5. They are also engaging and entertaining! 

How could I want my son to be described any other way than through stories? I think everyone wants to be described with stories that really share who they are and to allow other people to have a window into their life. Describing a person through a string of adjectives is so impersonal and doesn’t do the person justice.

If you say that your son is strong - well what type of strong? Emotionally strong, physically strong, mentally strong?? Tell me more… give me an example. Emotionally strong is a completely different characteristic and insight into your son than physically strong.

If you say that your daughter is funny - what does she do that is funny? Is she a little prankster and plays jokes on you? Does she say funny words and make up stories? Does she enjoy laughing at funny things and what does her laugh sound like? Tell me more… give me a story. Making up funny stories is so creative and that is very different from playing a prank. 

Stories about people are memorable. Adjectives are not.

Yet, when someone asks me about my son, I feel compelled to share adjectives and get stuck. I now know why I am stuck. My son’s personality doesn’t boil down to a handful of adjectives. My son deserves his story to be told, to be described as a person, and to be memorable. 

If someone were to ask you about your child, what story would you tell them?