Teenager: Round Two

 

Springtime is a very celebratory time in our family. It's birthday season! We begin in March with Sweetie's birthday. The Bookends are in April, and mine is next month. But today I focus on my oldest son.

Mundo turns thirteen today.

While some kids may seem mature for their age (or want to think they're mature for their age), my Mundo is still a kid.

And that's not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

He loves creating things with Legos that he can shoot down with one of his many Nerf guns.

He loves video games. But what boy (little or grown up) doesn't?

I still get after him to make his bed, pick up after himself, WEAR HIS RETAINER (we paid enough for those doggone braces...), practice his trumpet....well, the list could go on, but those things are very, extremely typical kid. No earth shocker there.

Sweetie and I were discussing this very subject a few weeks ago. We came to the conclusion that having him like this is a good thing. Kids are urged to grow up so quickly, to take on many adult responsibilities, to engage in many activities, that they miss out on just being a kid. Hanging out at home. Playing with the neighborhood kids.

That doesn't mean that he's going to always be this way. Just the other night, I watched him. We had just finished seeing Sweetie perform in his school's production of "Grease", and were waiting outside for him to get changed. Mundo took the initiative to approach one of the kids who played a T-Bird member in the play and strike up a conversation. They chatted, and Mundo soon secured the kid's cell number AND had met his family. All in about ten minutes time. I'm not sure how T-Bird Boy feels about it, but Mundo is convinced he has a new friend.

I watched my boy grow up just a little right then and there. Literally watched him change just a bit. It was wonderful, magical, and a little sad all at the same time.

This is a kid who's not afraid to put himself out there. To make himself a little vulnerable. He isn't bashful about letting people know what religion he belongs to, and oh, can he get you a Book of Mormon while he's at it?

This is a kid who feels empathy on a level that I've not seen in many adult men. He wears his heart on his sleeve and while others may mock his tears, there's much to be said about a man who is tenderhearted and kind. Did I just say man? I mean kid.

Who is becoming more a man every day.

So watch out world. This new teenager's gonna rock you. At his own pace, and in his own time. And when he gets out there, I can't wait to stand back again, watching, basking in the glow that he will leave behind, and being forever grateful that he chose me to be his mom.