Fifteen Reasons to Love My Fifteen Year Old

This weekend, we were busy celebrating Eric, who turned fifteen on Saturday. Both of my sons celebrate September birthdays. With the addition of little Ty, it looks like September will be solidified as a favorite, and very eventful, month on my calendar.

Eric, I’ve been contemplating you for the past few days, thinking about the gift that you are in my life. The following are a simply a few of the reasons I think you are so very special:

1. You love to read – a recent trip to Barnes & Noble found you perusing Matthew Kelly’s “The Rhythm of Life”, a biography of Genghis Kahn, a book about classic rock songs, and a fantasy novel…since you were a little boy, you’ve swallowed up books and retained their contents – I love that!
2. You’re the world’s greatest big brother – I saw you out back this weekend, playing at a sword fight with Adam, and it made me smile because you’re so generous with the small amount of spare time you have in your life right now. Adam adores you, and he’s so wonderful because of the great example you constantly set for him.
3. You are respectful – you may not like our rules, but you play by them. Unlike many of your peers, you keep your pants pulled up and don’t use bad language.
4. You are a gentleman – you hold the door open, shake hands with grown ups, and consider the needs of others before your own.
5. You love classic music – you used the iTunes gift certificate your grandparents sent you to purchase “Creedance Clearwater Revival’s Greatest Hits” without even knowing the poetic justice of your purchasing decision. All I could do was smile, wipe a tear away, and sing along with you when you put it in the Tahoe’s CD player – those songs populate the soundtrack of my childhood – I love that you love them too!
6. You are great with little children – when I watched you playing with your three year old cousin Jake this weekend, I was reminded about how super you are with little ones. Your volunteer efforts at the Children’s Hospital this summer were a gift to the many little ones whose hours of waiting you made more fun and less worrisome.
7. You try your best at everything you do – You strive to give 110% in your endeavors, whether they are work or play. You make me want to try harder to be my best too!
8. You are a good friend – You listen to your friends (especially one of them), you care about them, and you are devoted to them.
9. You love to try new things – You live life with a sense of adventure. You love to go to new places, to take a stab at new experiences, and to exert your independence. You might be afraid sometimes, but you never let that stop you!
10. You like your food spicy – you like hot stuff, the spicier the better and you love to experiment with cooking. You like to try new foods. You put up with your Mom’s pedestrian efforts in the kitchen and love to try new restaurants.
11. You are tough and you don’t complain – I watch how hard you work, at school and in sports, and it exhausts me sometimes. In life, sometimes we have to “play through” difficult periods when we may not feel like taking care of our responsibilities – you take care of business in a way that is inspiring to your parents, coaches and teachers.
12. You make time for family – at an age when many of your peers would rather be dropped off at the mall, you will sit and watch a movie with your family, will go in the Jacuzzi and talk for an hour, or will play games with your little brother. When you’re gone, we miss you!
13. You are brilliant – I know, as your Mom I’m a bit biased, but your mind astounds me. You take after your Daddy in this respect – I’m glad you’re around to help Adam with his homework when Dad isn’t! Whether it’s Biology or literature, Spanish or Social Studies, you take it on with an incredible enthusiasm for learning that will serve you your whole life.
14. You offer your talents to God and to others – I am so happy to see you up in the Sanctuary each week, playing your guitar at Mass. You are a good example of what it means to be a “steward”.
15. You are a wonderful son – You always make me feel proud and lucky to be your mother. You are a miracle that Dad and I could never have anticipated – you changed our world forever, and you continue to make our lives better every day.

Watching you grow up is hard sometimes, because I love you so much and I know that the more you grow, the more you move into the world on your own. The pride and love that fills my heart when I think of you is difficult to describe – but I want you to know how much I love and respect you sweetie! Thank goodness you’re not sixteen this year: I still get to spend another year driving you around! Here’s to a great fifteenth year and to all the future holds. I love you Eric! Mom