We are celebrating with the usual jumpy birthday party with friends, because that is what Leo likes. There will be cupcakes and pizza for the same reason.
We will also give him a few presents. But mostly we are using this milestone to acknowledge that our boy is become a teenage dude, and no longer a little kid. So while one of his presents is a Monsters University DVD, another is a room makeover -- working with him, asking him about taking down the stamper paint 1-2-3 posters he made years ago (he said yes) and putting up a Star Tours poster instead. Removing the colored, preschool-style toy bins and replacing them with clean white shelves for relocating some of those toys. Replacing cutesy puppy sheets with cozy red fleece ones.
Nothing is going away permanently, not at first. We'll store most of his kiddie stuff in the garage for a while, in case he asks for it. Because he does that, sometimes, and knowing things are retrievable is reassuring way for him to manage transitions. Pluse these changes are hard for all of us, especially sentimental mothers who wish their kids could stay kids just a little longer.
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If you'd like to honor Leo's 13th birthday, his school would be most grateful for a donation of any size. Just click through to the school site and click the Donate button. Thank you.
Happy Birthday Dude and Welcome to Teen World. Please remain seated and keep your hands inside the car at all times. Enjoy the Ride Mama xx
ReplyDeleteHeh. Thanks! Appreciate having a mentor like you in this area.
DeleteMy dude is turning 13 in January, so I TOTALLY feel ya! And, funny, I was hoping to do the same thing with him; rework/redo his room. Except he's quite vocal about not wanting to change a THING. We'll keep prodding. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy Sweet turned 13 last March. It is hard to remember to accommodate the teen when he is still very child-like in many ways. Maybe a bit of wishful thinking on my part too. It is great though. Enjoy!
ReplyDelete