Thirteen

My firstborn is thirteen today.

It’s official: I now have a bona fide teenager on my hand.

I am still wavering about whether I should have made this birthday into a big deal or not. I hope he was not expecting a big to-do. I hope he was not expecting a PlayStation 3 this morning as he opened the box containing a bunch of Wii accessories. They are all in black. That should count for something. If he’s disappointed, he did not show. This kid, No. 1 Son, is turning out to be a surprisingly thoughtful young man, despite his natural tendency to be a sarcastic smart aleck. (Well, I wonder where he got that? And son, if you are reading this one day, notice that I did not call you “smartass” on this post dedicated to you on your birthday)

He has shown great capacity for kindness and empathy (even though he could have shown more of this to his own younger brother…)

He has shown great potential for wisdom (despite the day-to-day harebrained ideas and actions).

He’s given me hope that he will turn out to be a-ok when he declared in the first week of being a 7th grader, “I’ve decided to not worry about being cool any more.” THIS and many other small moments were what prevented me from Homer-Simpson-choking him “You Little!…” during the more trying and frustrating hours.

To be honest with you? I am freaking out. I have been at the state of perpetual freaking out ever since I became a mother so nothing new here really. My husband knew me so well that in 2003, when No.1 son was only 5 years old, he flat out told me to skip the movie “Thirteen”, “You are going to freak out even more if you watch that movie.”

 

My freaking-out state reached a crisis yesterday when I received this SMS from No. 1 son:

 

 

By the time I got home from work, he’s already ready to forgive me, well, kind of, because I could not stop laughing even as I was apologizing to him, mind you, with the utmost sincerity.

So what did I do in the wee hours when my oldest was turning into a teenager during his sleep? I made someecards. What else?

 

24 thoughts on “Thirteen

  1. dufmanno

    Just to make you feel better I’ll let you know that I am actually living a PG version of Catherine Hartwicke’s “13” right now.
    Welcome to my own personal hell.
    While I very much understand what is going on over at the Absence of Alternatives household I still want to wish your adorable yet nearly grown up son a happy birthday.
    My daughter spent her March 10th celebration screaming that “no one was paying enough attention to her” and that her gifts “were okay”.
    Then a boy called the house to talk to her and I informed him that I would remove his arms and beat him to death with them if he ever called here again!
    I think I need to get back on the therapists couch.
    dufmanno recently posted…Room With a ThemeMy Profile

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  2. BigLittleWolf

    With a No. 1 Son and a No. 2 Son, both teens, may I just say… welcome to my world?

    Not to worry. It isn’t quite as much of a roller coaster as some may lead you to believe. Just prepare for very very very long showers, selective deafness, gaggles of teens in tow, dirty socks everywhere, and consider taking up drinking.

    Other than that – remember that teenage boys are pretty nice to their moms. (Ho ho ho. No, really.)
    BigLittleWolf recently posted…Am I Repeating MyselfMy Profile

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  3. Renee Fisher

    Listen, with the talent you have, you’ll simply turn all the teen-crises-to-come into high comedic art. After all, one must do something with them, right? I mean, aside from taking one’s life. Or theirs.
    Renee Fisher recently posted…The Rite of SpringMy Profile

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  4. Lies

    Can’t help you on this one – this is the exact reason why I’m postponing having kids (not living together with my partner and not having seed at the ready obviously has nothing to do with it). Just go with the flow, see where it gets you. It can’t possibly be that bad. Can it? 😉
    Lies recently posted…International Women’s Day- anyoneMy Profile

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  5. Velva

    Let me wipe the tears from eyes, I am laughing so hard. You are a talented story teller and I am going to be looking forward to these teenager posts. Wow, welcome to a new world. Your amazing, thoughtful, bright, witty, funny teenage son is going to rock your world over the next few years. Collect-up the stories and keep stuffing his brother’s underwear in his backpack.

    Velva
    P.S. My younger son is thirteen too. I plan on ignoring many of his antics 🙂
    Velva recently posted…Wordless WednesdayMy Profile

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  6. gigi

    Oh girl, I get this. I’ve been freaking out since day 1 and haven’t stopped since. Your boy is the coolest, even if #2’s number twos are in his backpack 🙂

    Hope he has a great day.
    gigi recently posted…A Fear of the SpearMy Profile

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  7. secret agent woman

    Everyone warned me about the teen years and how difficult they would be. And in spite of the truth in all the teen-brain stuff (impulsiveness, emotionality, and so on) I have found my teenaged boys to be a delight. It’s a good phase, as they all are.
    secret agent woman recently posted…Sunday Night PartyMy Profile

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  8. The Sweetest

    Congratulations are in order because parenting is tough business, and raising such a great kid is even more tough. I remember my thirteenth birthday. I had my first perm, and my mother took me to see Pretty In Pink, my first PG-13 movie. She thought it was trashy. I loved it.
    The Sweetest recently posted…Because One Trip Wasn’t EnoughMy Profile

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