So, in June a really bizarre thing happened in our house...we woke up one morning and found that a teenager was living here! There are many interesting things about having a teenager to raise...I'm pretty sure I was a much better teenager and never had hormonal outbursts when I was 13. Right mom? Oh, not the case? Well, so far if I'm being honest then Adrian is turning out to be a much better teenager than I was. (Reagan is the one I am not looking forward to having as a teenager!)
Adrian is such a wonderful young man and I'm excited to see how he continues to grow and develop in these years of increasing independence and responsibility. There were some typical struggles last year, but I was assured by teachers that it was "7th grade boy syndrome" and that it was "normal." I think sometimes the hardest thing as a parent is the internal struggle I have of knowing all the things I am trying to raise my children to be and do and allowing them to exercise their agency and experience the consequences of their choices. Adrian takes after his dad in more than just the looks department. He can be silly, obnoxious, forgetful, completely disorganized, and school isn't his favorite. But, he can also be caring, helpful, supportive, spontaneous, thoughtful, and he has a really strong testimony.
I am starting to really feel the time crunch of preparing this young man to be a man. To live up to his full potential and be prepared to serve and someday provide for a family of his own. Our church lowered the age for missionary service to 18 for young men--this only gives us 5 years! Some of my goals for this year are to spend more one-on-one time with Adrian teaching him life skills (laundry, cooking, etc.), assist him with getting his scouting requirements taken care of, supporting him in his calling as a family history consultant, providing a home environment where the Spirit can be and where our family wants to be, and (perhaps the hardest one of all!) learning to let go a little more and allow Adrian to make more of his own choices. With having my young children that need a lot of boundaries and guidance it is easy for me to slip into a mode of doing the same things with Adrian and I know he doesn't need the same ones.
I suppose I should add one more goal now that I think about it...figure out how to keep this boy's hunger sated without breaking the bank! Seriously, you should see this kid eat. On second thought, you probably wouldn't want to. Last year when he came back from BSA camp all I heard about was how he left his things everywhere and kept losing track of time and going to the wrong places. This year all I heard about was how much food he ate. Seeing as he is now 5'5", but only weighs 115 lbs. I am sure his body is just trying to get some meat on those gangly limbs! Adrian already has feet the same size as his dad so I am sure he will only get taller and eat that much more. Love it!
Adrian is such a wonderful young man and I'm excited to see how he continues to grow and develop in these years of increasing independence and responsibility. There were some typical struggles last year, but I was assured by teachers that it was "7th grade boy syndrome" and that it was "normal." I think sometimes the hardest thing as a parent is the internal struggle I have of knowing all the things I am trying to raise my children to be and do and allowing them to exercise their agency and experience the consequences of their choices. Adrian takes after his dad in more than just the looks department. He can be silly, obnoxious, forgetful, completely disorganized, and school isn't his favorite. But, he can also be caring, helpful, supportive, spontaneous, thoughtful, and he has a really strong testimony.
I am starting to really feel the time crunch of preparing this young man to be a man. To live up to his full potential and be prepared to serve and someday provide for a family of his own. Our church lowered the age for missionary service to 18 for young men--this only gives us 5 years! Some of my goals for this year are to spend more one-on-one time with Adrian teaching him life skills (laundry, cooking, etc.), assist him with getting his scouting requirements taken care of, supporting him in his calling as a family history consultant, providing a home environment where the Spirit can be and where our family wants to be, and (perhaps the hardest one of all!) learning to let go a little more and allow Adrian to make more of his own choices. With having my young children that need a lot of boundaries and guidance it is easy for me to slip into a mode of doing the same things with Adrian and I know he doesn't need the same ones.
I suppose I should add one more goal now that I think about it...figure out how to keep this boy's hunger sated without breaking the bank! Seriously, you should see this kid eat. On second thought, you probably wouldn't want to. Last year when he came back from BSA camp all I heard about was how he left his things everywhere and kept losing track of time and going to the wrong places. This year all I heard about was how much food he ate. Seeing as he is now 5'5", but only weighs 115 lbs. I am sure his body is just trying to get some meat on those gangly limbs! Adrian already has feet the same size as his dad so I am sure he will only get taller and eat that much more. Love it!
1 comments:
Aw!! Happy birthday, Adrian!! What a great kid.
Post a Comment