Happy 17th Birthday Mason!

Mason turned 17 this week, how is that possible? I know it is, but I don’t have to like it. The truth is, I don’t like it but not for the reasons you might think. It’s not that I miss his sweet little-boy voice, or his funny kid logic (he still has that!), or the way he used to hold my hand or want to cuddle and watch tv. I absolutely miss those things, but parenting a teenager is hard! They are following their natural evolution to separate from their parents, to develop their independence, and to find their sense of who they are outside of us as their trusted guardians. It’s interesting that they are now trusting us to let them go, to let them fly and fail. These processes don’t always go smoothly! LOL! I can laugh in this moment, but there are times it's not funny. We are yelling, crying, saying not-so-nice things to each other and all because it's hard for them to pull away and it's hard for us to let go. The Irony is that they want to be away from us and we want them to fly, it's just the human condition, we are emotional so it's not easy.

With that said, I love this kid, I love him with all that I am. It’s different than romantic love but as intense for sure. It is this time in life that I recognize the constant questioning of Dave and I is his ability to question authority respectfully. He speaks his mind and has the ability to articulate his feelings when they are good and when they are not happy. How many 16-year-olds do you know that will sit face to face with their military father and say, “ I know you’re dealing with tough things, I know you’re dealing with your aging father and a teenage son. I’m sorry for what I contribute to your grief. But if you are going to go to counseling, I want to go with you. I know your things are much bigger than mine but that doesn’t make my challenges nothing. If we can go together I believe we can come out stronger.“ Holy shit! I didn’t even know what to say. Full disclosure, those are not exactly the words Mason used, but darn close. I think Dave would testify to this. 

It doesn’t matter if I got it exactly right, the fact of the matter is his intention was and is to be united. He’s an incredibly mature soul and I know he’s going to succeed wildly whether he chooses to be an auto mechanic or the President of the United States. I hope he doesn’t choose the latter, because my family has such a colorful history, I can’t even imagine the fun the media would have.    

Happy 17th Birthday Mason,
your dad and I adore you. I know this last year has been rough but it’s 2020 son, what can I say? I do love you, I know you know. I hope your day was good.