He is an actor, author and model. He’s only 11 but he makes NJ proud. | Calavia-Robertson

Pilar Scratch says she knew her son River Mason Eromosele was special when he started reading captions from kids’ shows he watched while she worked on set. He was 3 years old.

That’s when I started noticing his abilities, she says of River, who is now 11. And I was like OK, that’s kinda weird.

Once at school, his teachers couldn’t help but notice him either. And in third grade, her teacher, impressed with her math prowess, decided to give her an IQ test, her mother said.

He scored 145 it’s at the very gifted level, said Scratch, and that kind of solidified him even more, which we kind of already knew… that yeah, he was really good. River, who is now in grade 6, attends school in Hillside Township.

Her gifts, however, extend beyond the classroom and reflect in part the same success as her mother, who is a Newark-based celebrity stylist.

He starred in his very first promotional ad campaign for a diaper brand while he was… well, in diapers. And has continued to regularly book modeling and acting gigs ever since, even appearing in official singer John Legends Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Musical clip in 2018 when he was 7 years old.

Shanterra Lane, owner of the Manhattan-based sneaker brand RIZR shoes, said she first discovered River after following her talented mom on Instagram. And last October, she hired him for an ad campaign featuring billboards at London Underground stations.

He was so fun to work with and he had such great energy, Lane says. But he was also very mature and I just remember I kept saying, he’s such a pro.

Scratch says River has a knack for modeling, acting and all things entertainment. But she doesn’t tell me what most people who know them already know, that the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.

Scratch, over his decades-long fashion career, has styled a long list of stars, including Kim and Samantha Wallace of reality show Love & Hip Hop, Afro-Latina singer Amara La Negra and rapper Jim Jones.

His aunt is rapper Rah Digga, of the Flipmode Squad, a hip hop group led by Busta Rhymes. And her twin sister is iHeartRadio personality Madison Jaye. River comes from a family of artists, she says, pausing as she tries to remember all the brands and companies her sons represented.

I can’t remember them all, she said finally, before naming a few: GoGo Squeez applesauce, AlternaVites Kids vitamins, Junkless granola bars, Moon Pod bean bag chairs, he’s been on Dr. Oz and in Commercials for Nickelodeon…you know, so, so.

There’s no doubt she beams with pride when she talks about all her son has accomplished in his short years, but I wonder what Rivers is most proud of. And I’m surprised when he says to me: It’s easy! he said enthusiastically. From my book, Sky is the limit. I wrote it because I wanted to teach kids about positive affirmations and meditation.

Oh yeah, as of 2019 he’s also a self-published author. He sold over 3,000 copies and had his book picked up by retailers Barnes & NoblesBooks-A-Million and Walmart.

If only I could go back in time and be like River. Write books, sell them, meditate… and all that before the age of 11?! I ask him why teaching these things to children was important to him and he says, well, because my mother taught me and it really helped me.

When I feel nervous or stressed, like right before leaving on set or if I’m traveling somewhere and have to catch a flight, plane, I just close my eyes and meditate for five minutes and I instantly feel better, said River.

It helps me clear my mind. And I want other kids to be able to do it themselves too.

What next? What are your dreams, I ask, what are your goals, are there more children’s books on your horizon? Yes, I would like to write more books, maybe on compassion or kindness, he says. But there is something else that I would like to do, as an actor.

He tells me that he would like one day to win an Academy Award, an Oscar, but above all to be able to dedicate it to his mother. I would stand up and give all the credit to my mother, he said. It’s my inspiration.

And the award for best son goes to…

I’m sure nothing is impossible for this sweet mother-son duo. There is no dream too big and the sky really is the limit. May they both continue to shine and inspire, in New Jersey and beyond.

You can reach Daysi Calavia-Robertson at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram at @presspassdaysi or Twitter @presspassdaysi.

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