Today I have a teenager. HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?? How does he keep aging and I don’t? Don’t answer that. I have been reflecting the last few days over this new frontier we are entering. A friend commented to me “now we are the older parents. The ones we couldn’t imagine being when our kids were toddlers.” Really??? That’s me now?
Mason turns 13 today. We (he) have been been counting down for quite some time although I made him take a break for Mother’s Day. He doesn’t get every day. Here we are. 13. I feel so many things...for him and for me….excited, anxious, wistful, tired and LIKE MY HEAD MIGHT EXPLODE.
I wouldn’t go back. I didn’t rock the infant/toddler years. I never had enough patience, sleep or coffee. Well, I probably had enough coffee but it didn’t compensate for all that I lacked. Mason wasn’t the easiest baby. Come to think of it...the baby he was ended up being quite indicative of the teenager he has become. He didn’t sleep, was intense, demanding, energetic and expressive. He seemed to always be taking everything in - kind of like a continual sensory overload.
He has taught me so much in 13 years. Coming from a household of two girls I didn’t know much about boys - like how they must run EVERYWHERE, how there isn’t a lot of thought before speaking, how they start talking incessantly about girls at 12.5 years old and how aim is very important.
I also have learned a lot about myself. I see traits of mine in Mason - both good and bad. I have had to own up to my own anxiety and type A personality. Mason is more like a AAA and Michael won’t claim any of it. I only claim one A. We also share a distaste for sleeping in and sitting still unless it is in the name of a good book. We love roller coasters, carbohydrates and all things Disney.
If it weren’t for Mason I wouldn’t have learned all the names of various construction equipment or Thomas the Train characters. I would never have taken golf lessons or known the difference between a birdie or an eagle. I may not have tuned into the Masters or the NFL Draft.
I am proud of who he is at 13. He is a great brother to Audrey. He has a good group of kids he hangs around with. He pushes himself academically - even if he can’t find most of his homework when it is complete.He still lets me read to him at night and he will still tell me he loves me. He has a long road ahead - all of the neuron connections have definitely not been made. But I am proud of where he has been and where he is going. He has a lot to figure out - like that the day doesn’t have to start at 5:30 a.m. or that we don’t all need to cater to his needs and schedule- but heck,I have a lot to figure out still too. Like how to effectively parent a teenager. How uninteresting if we were perfect.
So Happy, Happy Birthday to my smart, witty, fun-loving Mason. I love you to the moon and back.
:) Love you Mom!
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