I sit in silence as I type this blog. My daughter is off at band camp, and my son is on another trip with my dad. Jeff is at the gym. Silence often is what mothers think we want. However, after we have it, silence hurts the ears.
Today, let me reintroduce you to having a son in middle school.
Jason is 11. He seems to have matured well beyond his years in several ways. In further ways, he is right where he should be. For the last two nights, Jason has dragged a massive tub of Legos from his room into the living room. He has a neat mat given to him by Laura that contains all his Legos on the floor.
I decided to lay down and watch him build and sort. In these moments, I realize that he’s in between being a kid and a teenager. I know that many adults build with Legos but not with the fantastic mind of a child’s imagination. We talked and laughed, and I just soaked in every moment of him being eleven.
As I watched Jason build, he liked to make me laugh. Jason has loved making me laugh since he was a baby! He can make me laugh just by a facial expression or one word. His humor often makes it difficult when you’re trying to do homework or be serious. We can’t look at each other during something serious like Mass.
Empathy and Generosity
Well, I began to cry the other night because some thought hit me about the kids getting older. Jason figured out why I was crying and did everything he knew to make me laugh. He quickly logged onto YouTube and found that clip in Shrek when the boy told Shrek to roar. Jason knows that makes me laugh. He tried everything, and it helped me stop crying. It was just one of those days. I know I’ll be blessed with many more crying spells over her senior year.
Jason also misses Laura when she’s out with her boyfriend or when she has school obligations. He realizes she won’t be around much longer. Each time she is here, he tries to spend as much time with her as possible. They are very different in personality but love each other immensely.
Jason is an awesome friend. Whenever we go shopping, he asks me if he can buy something for his sister or friend. We were at a store on Monday, and another sign that he was growing up hit me in the face. He used to ask me to buy cars, dinosaurs, or slime. This time, he wanted two posters—one for him and one for his friend: no toys or candy. He wanted a baseball poster for himself and an Anime one for his friend. Jason looks out for others, and why would I say no to him buying something for someone else? As soon as we parked at home, he ran to give it to his friend. He felt pleased that his friend liked it.
Not enough words exist to describe how amazing my son is. Of course, he’s still a tween with the crazy words, now obsessed with his hair and sneakers. Jason’s core will always be there. He’s cute, funny, a quick thinker, witty, wise, intelligent, empathetic, sympathetic, holy, and the best son.
The house is always way too quiet without him around.
