Just recently I had several conversations with a few different people where I've likened teenagers to toddlers. I had this revelation within the last few months and it was both startling and amusing to me at the same time. Much like toddlers, teenagers require lots of sleep, eat large amounts of foods, go through rapid mood swings and throw temper tantrums at the drop of a dime. I remember being so grateful when my children grew out of their toddler years, yet it seems they are back in them again, only this time much larger and louder. No one warned me about this part of parenting, and I felt a little bit ill-prepared for it. Having two teenagers at the same time has been difficult at best and that's sugar coating over the worst of it. I am thankful however that he is coming off the worst of it as she is heading into it, so there's that.
He has had a difficult year, my boy. As I sit here, on his birthday and reflect on this past year and where it has taken him, and us, I am grateful for where we have gotten to today. I count among my blessings the months that he was able to spend at MIT this summer, no matter how much I missed him or how challenging that was to work out on several different levels. He needed that break from life and it's struggles and the intellectual stimulation and educational growth that he received while he was there was worth it all. He came back recharged and ready to take on the world.
Over the past few months, I have caught glimpses of him as a responsible adult, and less of an awkward teenager. I have seen true joy on his face, which has been rare this year, and heard him laugh from the very depths of his being. I have been able to rest better at night and drop the worry notch down from an 8 to a 4. We have had some fantastic conversations, and even though I don't always understand what the heck he is talking about, I enjoy that he's engaging in them with us again. The twinkle in his eye is back and his curiosity has been reignited and things are starting to right themselves again.
The part of me that is a mom, can't believe that next year he will be a legal adult, and a senior, and making decisions that will effect the rest of his life and getting ready to go off and have new adventures without me. The part of me that is HIS mom, is so proud of the young man that he is becoming and cannot wait to see what kind of awesome things he is going to do with his life once he goes out to blaze his own trail. Happy Birthday Corey. Dad and I love you!
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