Happy 15th Birthday, Whosteen!

My one and only child turned 15 years old.

TODAY.

Every year I have tried to make a big deal about my son’s birthday. In fact, I usually let him stay home from school so he and I can spend that day doing something fun together. I’ve thrown outrageous parties for him. And, I’ve been fortunate enough in the past, to have been able to afford most of the presents he’s ever wanted. But as he’s gotten older, I’ve also given him things that were much more ‘meaningful’ and a lot less ‘materialistic.’

Like for instance…

When my son turned twelve, I wrote him THIS letter.

When he turned thirteen, I made him THIS video.

And when he turned fourteen, THIS happened.

That being said, I’ve thought long and hard about what I could give to him this year, or how I could make this birthday as special or as memorable as other birthday’s gone by.

I thought about embarrassing him by posting old photos.

But that might make him mad.

So then, I thought about publicly thanking him, for FINALLY cutting his hair!!!

But again, that also might make him mad.

So then, I thought about sharing the book report he wrote, back when he was 10 years old, regarding King Arthur. But I’ve already done that.

And I then thought about sharing the story when he got into trouble at school after completing the 12-week D.A.R.E program, simply for speaking his mind. But I’ve already done that too.

And then for a split second, I considered writing him another letter, or making him another video.

Because I really wanted to tell my son just how proud of him I am. I wanted to tell him how he amazes me every single day. I wanted to tell him that even though sometimes I really miss seeing his tiny little fingerprints all over my freshly cleaned glass tables, windows, and mirrors, and, as much as I’d like to remind him about learning the difference between ‘hot candles’ and ‘regular candles’, I have never loved him more than I do today. I wanted him to know that he has surpassed anything I ever imagined. I wanted him to realize that he is becoming a truly wonderful man in this world. And I wanted to tell him how much I love his brilliant sense of humor, his gorgeous smile, and his infectious laugh.

But he’s a bona fide teenager people, and he really doesn’t give two craps about things like that anymore.

So…

Instead of doing any of that, I am going to do the unthinkable.

I am taking my son to the store to buy him YET ANOTHER brand new guitar.

Because that’s all he really wants.

And he totally deserves it.

Happy 15^th Birthday, Whosteen!

[* The complete set of birthday photos can be found right HERE!* ]