This post isn’t easy to write. Not because the subject matter is difficult. It’s because at this stage I should have something dramatically relevant to say.
I should be offering words of wisdom, words of instruction that he will carry with him long after I’m gone.
But the best I can come up with is “where did the time go?”
I wrote last year about how he was our miracle child. Actually one of two, but that’s another story.
The middle school years are never easy for the parent or the child. But now we’re watching this awkward child slowly, sometimes very slowly, turn into a responsible young man.
On the one hand, we know there’s a teenage boy in the house again when the upstairs bathroom, sometimes the whole upstairs, smells like Axe.
But in the last few weeks, we’ve seen him start to take responsibility with his school work as we begin homeschooling. A funny thing about homeschooling, evenings are a lot less tense because we’re not searching for homework or looking for missing homework that he “knew” was done.
I’ve yet to hear him complain about taking care of the dog, whether it’s feeding him, taking him for a walk or even cleaning up the occassional early on accidents when we were all still learning signals.
It’s not all perfect. We still nag about bedtime and cleaning his room and showers and chores. But we’re making progress.
He’s a delight to take along when we do things like visit the Chihuly exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts or when we go to the Home and Garden Show.
Because of Monday schedules we took him out for a birthday dinner Sunday. We brought along a couple of friends to Kabuto, a favorite restaurant. This adventurous eater would love Asian and/or seafood at every meal. Mom brought along her hot spot, so the three of them sat there with their electronic devices playing Minecraft together and having a great time.
I seriously worry about the country and the debt we’re leaving his generation. But I think he, along with his generation, will rise to the challenges put before him.
I know there are storms ahead. That’s a part of life, and I can’t stop them. The best I can do is try to help him prepare to meet those storms.
[…] known as “small child” on Facebook), has just turned 14. You can read his story here and here. His older brother is in his senior year as a film […]
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when we go to the Home and Garden Show.
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[…] boy who once wished upon a falling star for a little brother, and who got that wish and occasionally wanted to take it back? […]
[…] known as “small child” on Facebook), has just turned 14. You can read his story here and here. His older brother is in his senior year as a film […]