Yesterday Bennett turned 13. It has felt like he has been a teen for quite sometime to me because his hormones would just not wait for the 18th of September to be officially recognised. Although his hormones and his teenage self have made themselves at home for quite sometime, yesterday it was official - I was now the mother of a teenager. This strangely didn't make me feel really old, or sad that my baby had grown up, I have been through these emotions already. It actually made me feel really close to him and full of love for him. I wonder if this feeling of closeness is just me trying desperately to hang on to him before he grows up so much that he moves away and only come to visit me when he has run out of food in his flat, wants money, wants to do his washing, or wants all three things at once.
Yesterday we did the things Bennett loves to do - we ate chocolate, had cake, watched rugby on TV and live, we had pizza and his friend stayed the night so they could stay up late playing computer games. I am so glad the things he loves doing are still things I can be involved in and do not involve girls - this will be the next hellish stage.
Happy birthday Bennett.
ReplyDeleteYou've done your mum proud.
Keep loving him Fflur, and remember these happy times.
ReplyDeleteIt will stop you strangling him when he goes through the sullen and "nobody ever understands me" phase, quickly folowed by the "You wrinklies never understand/have fun/have sex/anything good really" phase and finally finishing with the "I love you Mum, can you lend me $50?" phase.
Wow, Bennett looks really different in that first photo - he must be growing up. One day, maybe twenty years from now when he is a dad he will "get" that it takes a pretty cool mum to sit through rugby games she has very VERY little interest in because she knows that her son enjoys them. It's like when I felt a bit bored at Eleanor's swimming lesson and in a flash I realised how incredibly dull and unpleasant it must have been for my mother to stand on the sideline of muddy soccer fields every Saturday in winter for about ten years while I slogged a football around. (JP)
ReplyDeleteI cannot image my boy as a teenager and the irony being I am sure I am older than you. Hope you are enjoying your holiday.
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