To My Middle Son On Your Fourteenth Birthday

 FOURTEEN

That doesn't seem quite right to me, but I guess it must be true (I did the math and it was correct, this time). Fourteen years of laughs. A lot of laughs lately. You are my buddy, the child who is wholly inappropriate and makes me roll my eyes, laugh, and giggle like no one else. The last year was a big one for you:

• You got back into the dance studio and hit all of your steps in the recital (and slipped away RBF during the performances-yay!)
• You advocated for yourself a lot this year and had a stellar year in school. I am so proud of you for it!
• You graduated eighth grade and are onto HIGH SCHOOL!
• Daycare closed and you had A LOT of big feelings about it, but you've done an amazing job maintaining those friendships and making sure you and your friends are in constant contact.
• Your final year of band and flute playing
• Designing a logo and business plan for your bakery

As always, you handled whatever life threw at you like the ultimate champ. My go with the flow kid, my happy and (mostly) positive kid who never misses a beat. You are my go-to person for a good laugh. You are also the person who I shouldn't sit by when we need to be quiet because we're the most likely to chat away (and be slightly inappropriate together). I love nothing more than our late night chats, giving each other a hard time, and being buddies. I never quite understood the "my kid is my best friend" quote up until the last couple of years. My once most difficult child to parent (I love you, but gosh, those early years gave me all of my gray hairs!), you are now my easiest. Even when it's hard, I know we can have honest conversations about anything and work it out. 

Some of your favorites from the year include (in no particular order): Starbucks, Asian foods, being an adventurous eater, Mainframe Studios, cuddling your cat, going to the mall, Sephora, and Ulta, adventuring (even though those adventures are now few and far between due to everyone's varying schedules), baking, Tik Tok recipes, reels, Roblox, Grey's, and Crumbl cookies. 

You're still always ready for a good time. This once worried me, but now I'm confident you'll use this quality for good. Your life will never be dull because you're a dreamer who will try anything once. These are all of my favorite qualities about you. 

I'm pretty sure I thank you every year, but I want to be sure it's engrained in your brain. Thank you for making me the mother I am. Thank you for making me the person I am. Thank you for showing me to be brave and try anything. I did not easily possess these qualities before you came along. You quite literally changed how I dealt with life. 

I hope as you go through this next trip around the sun that you continue to be true to yourself and never lose the qualities that make you YOU! This next year will also be a big one for you: high school, more dance classes, theatre, and everything that comes along with life changes. I can't wait to see what you do with everything. I am so incredibly proud of you! I love you! Thank you for sharing your life with me.

Love always and forever,

Mom (or Mama, as you've taken to calling me lately)

My favorite oops moment of yours from this year: the night you tried "Kardashian lips" and had to go to school like this the next morning. Lol

You got to come to your first networking event with me at Paws & Pints.

To My Daughter On Your Twelfth Birthday

 

What a trip around the sun this has been for you! Your whole year was filled with firsts, new beginnings, and milestones. You're almost to the teen years, riding the lines between little girl, angsty teen, and proper young women. This year held so much emotional and mental growth for you. You gracefully navigated big life changes and conquered them all. I've always been proud of you, but you absolutely left me stunned by your grace through the toughest days.

You completed your first year in middle school. It was a huge change and you did it with an ease I can only wish for. You had a great year with friends (both new and old), classes (those grades we're pretty darn great!), getting involved, trying new things even if you were scared, and staying true to your authentic self. There were dances, sleepovers, shaving your legs, learning who you wanted to be friends with and who you didn't, and everything in between. Saying goodbye to daycare was tough and left a lot of questions unanswered, but I feel like we got a pretty good deal for this summer for you to spend time with some of your best friends.

You've gotten quite the workout in of learning to stick up for yourself and how to speak up for yourself. From teachers to peers, I'm proud of how you handled any challenges that arose. You've always been one to do what you want to do and not give a damn what others around you are doing. While that has been challenging from the parenting side, it is also one of my favorite things about you. I'm thrilled to see that hasn't changed at all. 

Your resilience, fearlessly trying new things, and taking all things to heart are your best qualities. They make you caring, fun, and adds to your ability to keep us guessing (just as you have the last twelve years). Our family dynamic has changed dramatically this year, as I expected as all three of you have gotten older. School, friends, and activities are at the forefront of your priorities. Day trips and adventuring have taken a backseat, making our family fun days a rarity. We have fewer mom and minis sleepovers, but our late night chats and snuggles are still my favorite. I love connecting with you and sharing secrets, even when it's past my bedtime.

We're gearing up for your seventh recital season. You still have the same spark and love for dance as you did that very first year. If anything it has only grown. Your commitment always impresses me, especially because you never waiver in your love for your dance classes.

My sweet, sometimes volatile Elizabeth, I hope your next trip around the sun is as spectacular as this last one was. As much as I hope you continue to exude the extraordinary qualities that make you YOU, I hope you always do what makes you happy. Thank you for sharing your life and love with us! Happy Birthday to the youngest love of my life! 

Love you always and forever.

Mom