Accepting my son for who he is

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As parents, we all want our kids to be more than we were. We want them to achieve and do all the things but sometimes we need to be realistic. It's so easy to get lost in the things you want for your child while ignoring the things your child wants. I realized a long time ago my child wasn't going to be an athlete, I think it was probably the way he mean mugged me in the middle of the soccer field while his teammates ran around him, or maybe it was the way he was building sand castles at first base in T-ball, or the time he literally pranced around the bases, but I digress I wanted him to be good at it and love it but he didn't and I accepted it. My son just wasn't going to be an athlete and I made peace with that. My son also is not a leader, but in the same respect, he also isn't a follower. He does what he knows is right and he isn't going to follow the lead of someone he knows is making bad choices. He doesn't want to be the center of attention, he doesn't want to be the person everyone looks up to, he wants to be the person in the background doing his own thing and being happy. My son is smart, but he's not a genius. My son is not going to be an overachiever. That's not who he is. I've made peace with the fact that my son is exactly who he is. Sometimes I struggle because I want him to do more and be more because I know he is capable of it but he is his own person and he gets to make his own decisions. It is tough when you want so much for your child and they don't want it for themselves but you need to learn to respect that about them and I do but that doesn't mean I don't try and encourage him to be more sometimes but I don't pressure him. I let him make his own choices. Of all the things my son isn't, here is what he is. He is the human that opens doors for strangers, he's the kid who always has a smile on his face (always has, he's always been my smiley boy), he's the boy that cares so much about others we have to hide news from him so his whole day is wrecked when he hears about another school shooting because he feels it in his soul, he's the boy that despite hating soccer so much the one day he was actually playing correctly and enjoying it (we were as shocked as everyone else that day wondering what happened it was also a one off) he was close to getting the ball but stopped everything when he saw his teammate fall he went and helped him up. I know that doesn't make a great soccer player; that kid was fine and probably could have helped himself up, but my son just saw someone fall and decided to help him up because my son isn't a great soccer player, but he is a great human. He is one of the best humans I know. He has empathy in spades. He isn't going to be the kid who becomes a great leader or athlete, but he is going to be the kid who brightens someone else's day. My son knows right from wrong and stays away from trouble to the best of his ability. He chooses his friends wisely. He is funny and caring. He is always cracking jokes and making people laugh. He loves the things he loves and makes no excuses for it. He loves Pokémon, rocks, playing chess, computers, cats, and music (listening to it and singing it; he has zero desire to play an instrument; he tried playing the violin, and that went terribly). He loves watching old movies with me, especially musicals. He hates being the center of attention and avoids it like the plague. He can't handle seeing anyone hurt or even hearing about anything medically related. He's very sensitive to blood and gore, he hates horror movies. My son is exactly who he is and while there are times I wish he'd try to achieve a little more, I am proud of him for being exactly who he is. Who he is is enough. All of his teachers tell me the same thing, and that's that he is a really good kid, and they wish there were more kids like him. It's ok that he isn't a born leader or athlete. He's a good person, and that's one of the best things someone can be. Sometimes, we just need to accept our children for who they are. I know we want so much more for them, but as long as they are happy and aren't hurting anyone that's all that matters in the grand scheme of things. Success is more than the amount of money someone makes; it's also about the quality of human they are, and my son is one of the best in that area.