The Birthday Boy

Family-Session-(8-of-29)Didn’t I just write a birthday post the other day? Yes. Yes, I did. Of course, there’s a big difference between a two year old’s birthday and an eleven year old’s birthday. MC was generally just excited to be doing anything that involved balloons, cake, and mysterious surprises that come out of boxes. She had no expectations. Easy to please.

TRC is turning 11. This isn’t his first rodeo. He knows what he wants, he knows what to expect, and he’s been looking forward to this for a long time.

Then again, from a parent’s point of view, both birthdays are amazingly similar, in that I just can’t believe my kids continue to get older. I suppose this is a feeling that won’t really dim with time. There’ll come a time when I look back at TRC being 11 and be amazed he was ever that young (or that he’s already as old as however old he’ll be when that day comes), just as I look back on TRC being 2 and am surprised the same way.

Honestly, I get along much better with older children. I have a hard time with babies. They’re fun, and I love them (well, my own at least), but I never know what to do with them. I never have that problem with TRC. He wants to do what I want to do: play games, read books, watch movies, and have fun.

Maybe I’m still 11 too . . .

His current favorite activities remain Minecraft and Doctor Who. (We’ve been going back and rewatching the early episodes of the new series over the last month of so. He hasn’t seen those yet, Denisa and I have.) He loves taking things apart, but he loves creating things even more. He loves finding out as much about something that interests him that he can. If it doesn’t interest him, he’d just as soon forget it exists.

Again, I can certainly relate.

I keep wondering when everything will fall apart. When he’ll start being a rebellious teen who doesn’t want to be seen in public with me, let alone do anything together. That hasn’t happened still, and I continue to hold out hope that it won’t. I try hard to take time to spend with all my kids, though I think I do the best job of it with TRC. Our interests just overlap so much.

Anyway. Not much to add to this post except to continue to brag about how awesome he is. I’m his dad. That’s my job. Here’s wishing him a very happy birthday, and a very public thank you for all the hard work he puts in around the house and with our family.

Leave a comment

×