I cannot believe he will now be in double digits. Yes, teenage years are another momentous occasion, but I remember well moving into that double digit age range and how much older I felt. Currently, having a son in the same double digit, it still makes me feel older, but not in the same way.
Reflecting over the past year, it really amazes me how your own kids change over the course of 12 months. I think I was expecting it to be a gradual change at some point. And maybe that is yet to come as they become more independent, wanting to spend more time with their friends or at activities and such. But because he isn't there yet, I have loved to watch him grow up. And yes, part of that is literally to grow up. He will have another check in under a month, but until then, I would guess he grew another 2 inches or so over the past year. He is now wearing the same size shoe as me. His frame is much thinner, as a result, he is really feeling cold now that the temperature has turned. Oh, how I remember that feeling too.
As far as the other aspects of growing up, it has been interesting to see how social aspects of school and outside of school have really taken shape as well. He has this wonderful carefree attitude, if he is in a comfortable, safe setting. I know he is worried about someone asking him what he is doing, but I know he is very capable of answering those questions too. This week, the school ran a fundraiser at Chipolte, and I had a large sign made advertising the event. Someone suggested that maybe one of my kids would be willing to stand outside during parent drop off on Monday and then possibly go on the morning news program to talk about it. I thought Trevor would enjoy doing it, and he said he would do so. The night before, I think he was second-guessing himself - also I'm sure wondering what his friends would think of him doing it - but I ran through what it was all about so he could talk intelligently about it. So I went to school early with him just to make sure it all was ok. Gwen and I hung out inside and watched him do his thing. He was SO in his element. This is one of his friends that came to talk to him about it. For a while he was dancing around doing his attention-grabbing Trevor thing that he does. And then after the first bell rang, we walked over to the morning news rehearsal. He did not have a script, but was able to practice what he wanted to say. I watched him while he was on the news and while he may have stumbled over a few of his words, he had SUCH confidence. He was so in his element. He is a natural public speaker. Can you tell I was a proud mom? All I hope for him is to find out if it is something he recognizes as his strength. When I talk to him about it, he thinks he gets stage fright and doesn't always want to do it. But when he does do it, he has such a light from within. His relationship with his sister is one that has also taken a great leap over the past year. Yes, they still fight, but they are learning the rules of fighting. In that if they want the fighting to stop, one of them has to walk away, rather than continuing the argument. But Trevor has recognized the value of another playmate, especially one that worships you. Legos are the common play right now, but there also is variation to school, military, or Ninjago directly.
This morning, I told Trevor that Gwen and I had a talk about him bringing his cookies for a treat for his class. She had said that there were quite a few classmates where the older sibling brought one of their class treats for the younger sibling in her class. So she thought that Trevor should also bring her one. Problem with that, is that she did not do the same thing in return when it was her birthday. So I told her, I will ask Trevor, but that it was his choice, because she did not bring one to him for her birthday. Sure enough, as soon as I talked to Trevor about it, he said right away, he would give her one. And when I picked the kids up from school today, he was very proud of the fact that he did give one to her, and she was EXTREMELY appreciative, even saying, "Trevor, this is the last time, I promise, that I will thank you. Thank you SO much! I really appreciated that delicious cookie that you gave me" Because she had already thanked him 4 times previously.
His enjoyment of reading has also kicked up a notch. He is finally reading books that are longer than 150 pages. His current series is Eragon. Now, he still gravitates towards nintendo or computer games, but he also has already read the first book, which I believe was over 500 pages. So I will consider that a win. I don't expect him to always pick a book over nintendo, but it is nice to know that it is an option that is out there.
Finally, I will say that he is starting to understand that there is a world outside of high school. I was talking to him about it tonight, and I do know that it is pretty immature at this point. I'm not expecting him to be able to picture his life at, say, 20 years old. Because when I do ask him to think about it, he seems a little scared at the fact that I won't be with him to watch out for him. We are still at the stage of testing boundaries and finding out what happens when you make a bad decision. So right now he thinks that he needs to have a roommate in college so that he can get that person to do part of what he is expected to do. Laundry and the dishes for example. He also wants to get married early so that his wife can help him do his chores and such. See a pattern? I would say right now, he isn't ready to let me go. And that is a good place to be, because I am not ready for that either. But in the mean time, I will always enjoy all our conversations. From what he did at school, to the things he and his friends do, to answering questions he has about what I remember when I was his age.
I love you buddy. I hope your double digits are spectacular and I can't wait to see what they hold for you.
