30 Things Series #8: 5 Passions

My ongoing series, 30 Things My Son Should Know About Me, continues with this post about five of my passions.
passion (n): a strong feeling of enthusiasm or excitement for something or about doing something
you - You, my little lovey, are my passion. Every day you are more so. You're my passion, my best buddy, my favorite person of all time, the coolest being in the history and future of the known and unknown universe. That pretty much covers it. You are everything good and right in the world and in my life. Why? Because you're you.
human rights - I'm going to miss something here, but let's see if I can cover the majority: breastfeeding support (anywhere, anytime, anyhow - there are not 'buts' to my support), LGBTQIA (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual) rights, children's rights (to have their needs attended to - not be left to cry it out, to be treated with the respect they deserve as full-fledged humans, not the subhumans they are too often treated as), birth rights (your body, your baby, your choice), the right to die when ill (why are we affording our animals this right, but not our brothers and sisters?), the right not to be spanked (because it is abuse plain and simple), the right to have one's body left to oneself (including one's genitals - cutting off a piece of valuable, functioning flesh belonging to someone other than oneself is simply wrong), feminism (yep, and all that entails), victims' rights (for example, did you know that in our state, if I were raped and impregnanted as a result, the rapist could sue and get parental rights - not OK), patient rights (my experience in the hospital after you were born lit a fire under me), and more. I could go on and on and on, but as we long ago started to have these conversations, I know we'll continue and we'll help each other flesh out our ideas.
education - Regardless of whether or not I'm still teaching in a classroom, I'll always be a teacher. That's true literally and figuratively, as you'll be home with me for your education. Aside from being your mom, there was no other time more meaningful and life-changing for me than my years spent as a teacher, specifically my first two years.
my loved ones - I don't get to be around them often, so I hope they don't interpret my physical absence as a lack of passion for them. Nothing could be further from the truth. My Bug, Aunt Julie, Grandma Bray, Uncle Toby, the precious few close friends I have, my cousins, my students, and your dad - all of them and all the others there isn't space enough to name, I miss them, I love them, they are my home, my happy, my passions.
awareness - Perhaps this is a passion of mine because for so long I don't believe I was aware. I didn't grow up hearing about politics, so I never cared about them. I didn't grow up learning about the world outside of my own, so I didn't consider them. I was never aware of myself in my entirety. I was told my flaws, which I took to heart and carry those words with me still. I was told my superficial, cosmetic attributes, which I never really believed because of the flaws. I am now well aware of both my pros and cons. I am proud of the former and working on the latter. I am not, however, ashamed. You are already so aware of yourself and others. You astound me. We'll grow together talking and learning about the rest of the world around us. We'll travel, not just watch the world from afar. We'll experience to gain empathy. The world is so much bigger than us and it's vital to be aware of that.
You're so much better than I could ever hope to be, sweetheart. You already care so much about so much. I want to be just like you when I grow up. You're my hero. You're my Fiderman.