ten for ten

I've been telling everyone since Hijo's last birthday that I really like ten, that ten has to be the best year yet. A friend asked me why, so I decided to enumerate the reasons here.

1. At ten Hijo takes a shower all by himself. He doesn't even need me to set the water temperature anymore.
2. He will grab a book and read even if it's not for homework. He likes to read side-by-side with me as I read.
3. He likes to talk about his (and my) dreams. Every morning that's the first question he asks, "What did you dream?"
4. He has great taste in music. (Fatboy Slim, Spearhead, Ozomatli)
5. He's articulate. He's always had a pretty good vocabulary, but now I find him expressing himself in a way that just seems so grown up.
6. He says things like this.
7. He still loves to be tickled.
8. He can desconstruct a TV commercial.
9. He writes songs to play on his keyboard. Good songs.
10. Even though he seems to get more sophisticated every day, he's still a kid.