I am taking a reality pill. It's about time. For the last few weeks I have seen the wave coming, have felt the rumble, but have finally surrendered to the fact that I have a TEN year old. A TEN year old boy, who has finally realized that he loves his family, but is sometimes embarrassed by them. Wearing the same cool outfit day after day is comfortable and safe and so bugging his mother to get them washed and dried is borderline obsessive. Practicing patience with his little baby sister who loves and pesters him much is difficult. And exercising independence is painful, sometimes. (Hello principal's office.) For the first time in my parenthood I am ready to read any book that will tell me what to do. Mainly, because I know that letting him go is the most important thing I can do, as well as being the soft home base that he will always circle back to.
Looking back over our vacation pictures today gave me this reality check. Of the 300 pictures taken, 2% of them featured him. Here was the typical...
I realized that to catch him smiling, or looking at the camera without disdain, I had to do it on the sly.
Certainly a new way to love him...be less in his face with my camera.
He is an amazing kid and I love him. Look at that face and laugh. I know that he will always be my little boy, but loving a preteen ten year old boy looks different and I am painfully aware of that. Prayers for walking that road are welcome. :)
3 comments:
great images of happiness boy style! i have walked the road with two girls...same road different potholes!! blessings mom keep up the good work...see you on the road!
ps love sara groves!!
i look back on my own painful exercising of independence and cringe for my mother. and boys are a whole different ballgame. trust the process.
I've been hitting a wall just thinking about this wall. Please figure it all out and get back to me! Yikes!
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