My baby (I know he’s a teen, but he’s my youngest and will therefore always be my baby) turned FOURTEEN this week.
FOURTEEN. The age I was when I started dating his father. Oh my. Surely I was an “old” fourteen. Yes, that’s absolutely it.
Anyway, I received Jacob’s permission to do a quick blog about family life and his special day because he said something that made me incredibly happy as a mom. You know how when the kids are tiny, everything is “amazing” and “exciting” and “the bestest ever”? Well it seems to me that something occurs in their innards when they transform into teen-hood, and as a result, receiving a genuine comment of pure joy, thrill and excitement is like gold dust for us parents.
I got my gold dust.
The words: “Mom, this is the best birthday I’ve ever had!” No sarcasm, no eye-rolling- an honest, open look of gratitude and simple happiness. From a teen boy.
Now as much as I would love to claim full glory, I cannot. You see, after weighing up the highlights of Jacob’s birthday, it occurred to me that the whole FAMILY played a part in said victorious celebratory day.
The “brother hug” that happens but once a year. The fact that he had one f his grandmothers visiting from the U.K. to boost the family numbers and give some extra love. Having Dad take the morning off work so he could take Jacob on his new, shiny longboard.
The board game purchased and played…
The badminton with siblings in the sunshine…
His favorite Mexican food followed by a family outing to watch “Man of Steel” (side note- yes, Superman most certainly does indeed have magnificent abs of steel and there is much sparring and battling, but I figured it was part of the teen boy experience one has to grin and bear)…
Homemade chocolate cake (his nickname is Jake the Cake!)… thankfully no longer required in the shape of Yoda or an upright piano- been there, done that…
His birthday was perfect for him. It wasn’t lavish, and he only had one buddy come for dinner and the movie, but he was surrounded by people who love him most, and they gave him time and attention. The youngest is usually expected to grow up faster than the others, and sometimes misses out of the fun stuff because older siblings are just way too cool.
We have lots going on in our little family of five this next year- a wedding, a high school graduation, a University graduation, an emigration, a University decision… the little guy needed a day that was all about HIM. His birthday. A memory maker.
And it was the bestest birthday ever.
Pure gold dust to a mother’s heart.
Sigh….
