my kid is sitting at the table in the kitchen. He is turning seventeen tomorrow. Seventeen.
I’m astounded. I tried to type astonished, but astounded is so much better. it reverberates.
My age, his age, the time that has passed by while he has been growing and learning and changing. Man, so much change in these years. I throw sideways glances at him to catch the rumors of whats going on at any given moment. Looking too directly is a snap-back guarantee. Its a flip of the leaf with him, the back and forth of growth, the pale green underside as he moves into manhood in fits and starts. There is a long way to go, yes.
He’s slightly sunburnt, his hair over his eyebrows starting its path to bleached. He’s the dream of boys and girls everywhere, the adonis who spends his days skimboarding and jumping off boats. When he works, he tempts wedding guests with hors d’oeurves. Eventually he’ll understand the power of his looks, but it is not yet. He is literally the open-faced, open-hearted joy child in this house. He’s kind, and thinks of others often, especially young ones. Oh boy.
I love all of my kids uniquely. Today the first one is having his last day of sixteen. It feels big. tree-like.
It is beautiful to watch. I can’t believe how damn lucky I am to have been his mother.
(and uh, to keep being his mother, you know. )
LOVE LOVE, everywhere.
Sweet.