"Today I have decided to enjoy life," a little voice said. It was 7:22 a.m. I glanced up from behind a pile of laundry and saw Big Guy standing in the hallway. All 4 feet, 4 inches and 59 pounds of him. Wrapped in a blanket with wild hair, his skinny legs poking out. I was about to speak as he put his hand up.

“Mom, you don’t need to say anything. You don’t need to help me with this. I think I can do it. It might be a good day after all.” He turned and walked away. Head down. Contemplating.

Here we go. Another profound comment by Big Guy. Something so profound for the time of day that I don’t quite understand where it came from or why he’s thought it.

I tried not to giggle out loud. Respect his deep thoughts. So instead, I followed him into his room and gave him a small hug. “Good for you,” I said. He looked up at me with a solid, focused stare as he took a deep breath in and blew it out. He nodded his head and bit his lip. He smelled like syrup.

And there is the problem. Someone who smells like syrup is way too young for deep thoughts. Yet Big Guy is full of them. I look at this slight, willowy being and can’t believe what he spends his time thinking about.

From the outside, Big Guy is typical. A boy who would rather be outside playing than in school. Who dreams of being a professional athlete. And like any smart kid, he has a back up plan. A rock star. He loves cookie dough, pepperoni and popcorn and lives for sleepovers. It is nice to know these typical things do take up space in his head. Otherwise I might be worried. Worried that he is not “normal”.

Early on, he was serious. Looking to connect the dots and draw conclusions. What child doesn’t go through the “why” phase? But his was all consuming. Big Guy wanted to discuss. Understand. He thought about things. A lot.

One night, before bed, he wanted proof that heaven existed. We finally agreed that having faith would have to be enough. Another time, he contemplated karma. The whole “what goes around comes around” thing. More recently, I have found him staring at his globe, pondering what the kids in Zambia are doing while he sleeps. And how strange it is that there’s an entire world out there, functioning, while we live in our own little nook. How could that be?

So this morning’s comment, letting me know he would survive, was the latest. Not prompted by any particular incident. Just ideas floating around in his head.

Really Big Guy and I used to be concerned. What if all these deep thoughts are indicative of what’s to come? What will happen later on, when he has real life, grown-up stress? We’ve tried humor. Sarcasm. Have even encouraged him to dismiss deep thoughts altogether. Think happy thoughts, Big Guy. You’re young. Be carefree. Go ahead and get two wrong on your spelling test. Lighten up! Be a “normal” kid.

But here’s the thing. He’s not anxious. Apprehensive. He’s happy. Content. He just likes to think.

As parents, we think too. Probably too much. We have the benefit of hindsight. It’s hard not to want your kids to truly take advantage of this fleeting time. To have no worries. No fears. No deep thoughts. Those inevitably come later.

When our kids don’t fit the mold – our mold - our instinct is that something is wrong. They’re not normal. And we need to change them. Yet at some point, we have to accept that we can’t. I can’t. Big Guy is wired the way he is wired. His contemplative nature is part of who he is.

With that acceptance comes a bit of comfort. The ability to put it in perspective.

I’ve turned it into a positive. It’s reassuring to know that one of my children is capable of deep thoughts, I think to myself as I turn toward Little Guy’s room and spot him naked, without a care in the world, playing his electric guitar.

I remind myself that he is normal, too. Normal for him, that is.

Illyse appears every Thursday on TriangleMom2Mom.com.