A Birthday Boy

Last week my oldest child, Andy, turned 16. Just like that. There are some parenting days that seem to last for years, but then birthdays come and it seems as if the past year lasted just a day.

16! I am the mother of a 16 year old. That just amazes me.

Andy is, always has been, and always will be the best gift of a first born any one could ask for.  Andy is a blessing in the truest form of the word. His is joy to parent and is so easy to guide from childhood into adulthood. In fact, I often think I have learned more from him than he has from me.

Andy has a pure heart. That is rare in this life. He is not jaded nor does he have corrupt bone in his body. He looks at the world and sees good where the rest of us see evil. He is kind and generous. He does not count wrongs and is easy to forgive.

And although, from time to time, I will complain about how he lives with his head in the clouds and how much this makes me worry about his ability to function in this world as an adult it is also a gift because I do not have a girl crazy son who is behaving in a promiscuous manner, drinking alcohol, inhaling the latest spray to get high, and/or worried about spending a fortune on the latest designer clothes.

 Instead I have this simple young man who looks at the world through unique eyes. He is loved by everyone who meets him and this doesn't surprise me in the least. He is a gem of a son. I couldn't have asked for a better first born. His gentle spirit, helpful ways, and pure heart are a gift to anyone who crosses his path.

This past year Andy has grown a ton. He is taller than me now, and I imagine that the height disparity will only get worse as the years pass. Andy very much into programming again, and is spending a lot of time writing code, learning new code, and devouring everything he can about programming. He has been researching careers in programming and is hoping to someday use his skills to create video games. He is very focused on this subject matter in way that I have not seem him focused in a long time. It is nice to see him find a subject area that he is passionate about. I am proud of him.

Andy is one of the coolest kids I know. In so many ways he knows who he is and he isn't willing to compromise on his integrity. He won't have to go out into this world as a young adult and "find himself" as he was born with the rare gift of knowing surely and soundly who is and who he isn't.  I don't know what I did to be the lucky person who gets to walk beside Andy as he grows, but I am so thankful that I was chosen to be his mother. He is one of my biggest blessings.