Happy 16th Birthday, Whosteen!

Yep.

That’s right.

My baby bird is sixteen years old, today.

Over the years, I’ve always tried to give my son gifts that are ‘meaningful’ and not just ‘materialistic.’ Like when he turned twelve, I wrote him this letter. And when he turned thirteen, I made him this video montage. When he turned fourteen, we celebrated with uncontrollable laughter. And when he turned fifteen, I embarrassed him with humiliating photos. And this year, will be more of the same. So if you’ll please indulge me, I’d like to put on my ‘Mommy Hat’ and brag about my one and only child.

For the most part, I think I’m a pretty lucky mom. As far as teenagers go, I have it fairly easy.

And here’s why…

He does his homework, without me having to pester him. He gets good grades, without even trying. He cleans his room, without me asking. He pees in the toilet and never leaves the seat up. He makes his own breakfast and puts himself on the bus to school. He even does his own laundry.

Sounds like a dream, right?

Of course, like all teenagers, he certainly has his moments. Occasionally he will roll his eyes, he gets annoyed easily, and he’s been known to cop an attitude. He knows everything about everything. Oh, and he’s never wrong.

He even has a t-shirt that says so.

In general, he’s a good kid.

A really good kid.

And he’s becoming an incredible man, every single day.

He’s confident, respectful, and independent. He’s responsible, smart, and trustworthy. He honest, kind, and gentle. His sense of humor has fixed many a bad days, and I find the utmost joy, just hearing the sound of his laughter. His unconditional love never ceases to overwhelm me. I value our relationship more than I ever thought humanly possible. And I’m extremely grateful he doesn’t keep very many secrets from me. I am a better person simply for knowing him.  To say I am proud of him; would be an understatement.

I am honored to call him my son.

I loved reading his book. [Yeah, I know. Can you believe it? He wrote a book and published it before mine.]

He constantly cracks me up with his tweets.

And with his blog posts.

[Regardless if they are over-the-top, completely vulgar, and wildly inappropriate. READ: You’ve been warned.]

And apparently, he likes dressing up as a woman, IN SCHOOL.

But, even when he’s driving me insane…

I am forever impressed with the way he’s managed to overcome certain obstacles in his life.

He has the perfect balance of self-confidence and humility.

His determination and hard work are absolutely inspiring.

And I hope he realizes what a blessing he is, to everyone.

Of course he’s way too cool.

And way too busy.

And way too interested in girls.

And hanging out with his friends.

To listen to any of this mushy crap.

So I will stop talking about him on the Internet now.

Happy 16^th Whosteen!

Love,

Mom.