Fifteen

13 November 2019


We celebrated a birthday in our house this week with a quiet celebration, Cameron is not a fan of large groups or birthday parties.  He wanted to go mountain biking with a friend so that is what he did.  As he celebrates his fifteenth time round the sun, I write these words for him

This has been a year of big changes for you, some days you seem to visibly grow before our eyes, this time last year you were shorter than me now you are 2 inches taller than me, growing inches this year.  Your appetite is hard to keep up with at times, you always seem to be hungry, there is so much that needs feeding for you that it makes me happy to see you eat so much and so well.  You have no interest in cooking but you know what food you want to nourish you and keep you healthy.  Your voice is dropping and you are slowly building your adult strength, I cannot keep up with you when we go for a walk your legs go on for ever.

You started this year with a tentative connection to a new friend and have ended it with strong connections to two lovely friends.  It has given me such pleasure to watch these connections grow and flourish.  You have spent so long on the edge of a group whom you have known for years but were struggling to connect with, unsurprising as they are so rude and unkind to you.  This last year has shown you that there are people out there who are like you, gentle, kind souls, and now you no longer wish to spend time with the group of old friends, a decision that makes me so happy and I know you will not regret.  It is has had a effect on your happiness too, you are so much more content now.

You are so tolerant of the time we spend with your sister's friends, children who are much younger than you but who love to hang out with an older child.  They all love it when you join in their games or sit and chat with them, they look out for you too seeking me out to tell me when you were hurt at a home ed camp and then coming back later in the day to find out how you were doing.

You are learning to honing your leadership skills as you often take charge when playing in groups, you bring everyone into the game as fairly as you can, negotiating with everyone with your strong sense of fair play.  You like to come and talk to me about this afterwards seeking reassurance and guidance that you are on the right track.

This has been the year when you have loved being left alone in the house.  It has always been in your terms, but it is what you have wanted.  You have always been a home boy and happy in your own company, so being left alone in the house is perfect for you.  You have had three days on your own, with dad's company in the evenings, which felt like a big step but again it is what you wanted, you had a great time but it was wonderful to see you big smile when we returned home after our travels.

You have shown me that being the parent of a teenager is a wonderful privilege.  You have a great sense of humour and comedic timing, you often have us all in stitches with your one liners particularly at meal times.  There is no monosyllabic grunting from you, in fact sometimes I ask you if we could just take a short break as my head hurts with all the knowledge you are passing on to me.

I have now been a mother for fifteen years, the most amazing fifteen years of my life.  Thank you for being tolerant of my mistakes as I learn all the time what it takes to be the best parent I can be.  I am so proud to be your mum.

Happy Birthday, my love.

Eleven
Ten
Nine
Eight


21 comments:

  1. Happy birthday to Cameron, I hope he had a lovely day mountain biking with his friend. It sounds like he's grown in more ways than one this year, you must be a very proud mum.

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    1. Thank you, yes I am proud of him. He had a lovely day mountain biking and it stayed dry!

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  2. Happy birthday to your son, he sounds a lot like my daughter :)

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  3. Aw such beautiful words, happy birth-day to you both. I am glad that C has some solid friendships, he and Benedict are very similar! Shame we don't live nearer as I know Ben would appreciate his friendship :-) Big hugs all round xx

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    1. Thank you San. I am glad he has made solid friendships this year, I hadn't realise how much the lack of connection was effecting him until those were made he really changed in a positive way and is so much happier now. It is so difficult round here isn't it, we all seem to live so far apart.....

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  4. A very Happy Birthday, to your wonderful son!

    And if he is doing so well, remember that it is also a testament to your parenting. He has a strong home base. And an understanding one. Allowing him to grow and to flourish, at his own pace and time.

    So a big but gentle hug to you too, Mom.

    ⛄🔥⛄🔥⛄

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    1. Thank you! That is so kind and thoughtful of you to say x

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  5. And so quickly he'll be up and away. Enjoy him while you've got him! My youngest is now 35... where does the time go??

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    1. I know, I am dreading the day he tells me he is moving out. I am savouring every minute.

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  6. What a lovely post, he sounds like a remarkable young man. Teenagers are wonderful indeed, as you say, funny and kind and compassionate on the whole. Mine are slightly different ages (16 and 13), but it is a great time. I hope he had a great day mountain biking with his friend. That's exactly what my 13 year old chose to do on his birthday too.

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    1. Welcome and thank you! I am glad to hear that you feel that teenagers are funny, kind and compassionate they get such a bad press. He had a great time mountain biking and it stayed dry, amazingly.

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  7. Belated birthday wishes to Cameron. You describe a lovely young man. X

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  8. What a lovely post. Cameron sounds a great young man..xx

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  9. Happy (belated) birthday to your son. Has he read your post? Really special. Thanks for the heads up in the last blog about the podcast, Wardrobe Crisis. Fascinating! One for you: On Being (Krista Tippett) which has some wonderful gems in there.

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    1. Thank you, he hasn't read my post, I am thinking that I will give all the birthday posts to them when they are older as a keepsake from mum.

      So glad to hear that you enjoyed Wardrobe Crisis and thank you for your suggestion, I will look that one up x

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    2. That is such a great idea re your son. Do you know a book called The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule? I suspect you may do! We got the idea in that many years ago to write a birthday letter to your children once a year around their birthday to tell them about what has happened over the past year, both on a practical and emotional level. We put the letters in a box and when they are 16, this will be their birthday present.

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  10. Such a beautiful, heartfelt post. What a wonderful relationship you have. Sending him my very best wishes.xxx

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    1. Thank you, we do have a wonderful relationship. I love being the parent of a teenager.

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