While we were busy making other plans, this guy turned 13.
Pretty rude, right? Imagine me, the mother of a teenager. Preposterous! Yet, true.
I like having a teenage kid, now that I've had a few weeks to get used to the idea, but as with all things HR, so far his teendom is anything but typical. He's just one hundred percent who he is and that's that. Much of this milestone time in our lives has been taken up with the journey of solving his medical mysteries. It's stressful! His condition (celiac that hasn't improved with 6+ years of a gluten free diet) is chronic, but not fatal, thankfully. Sure he's the size of a fourth grader, and maybe he'll always be small, but if something is out of whack and he's malnourished and who knows what else despite everything, it's our job to do everything we can to make him better, to give him the healthiest and best possible life. I worry, no matter how aware I am that it could be worse. I'm so grateful that this loving, creative, funny and original kid is ours, and in exchange for the gift of HR, Mike and I have to deal with witnessing and guiding him through the scary and difficult bits, like the repeated endoscopies (he had the pleasure of swallowing a tiny camera last week!) and adventures in prednisone. NOT MY FAVORITE PART OF PARENTING. And again, I know all too well that we could be facing something so much more devastating, but I reserve my right to fully freak out on occasion. I want my kid to be ok and happy and well all the time, that's the bottom line. And for the record, though he's not particularly adept at rolling with it, whatever "it" may be, in general, he takes the appointments and procedures in stride. As soon as there's any news, I'll post it here.
It will be a shocker to nobody that I'm not gonna hit my goal to finish my current manuscript by Memorial Day, not even close. Hey cut me some slack, my kid's an oddity! JK, it has nothing to do with anyone but me and my bouts of being inconsistent (as if anyone but me cares) but I'm doing some reworking that will make it a stronger piece overall. It might be nice if y'all get to read it someday.
Gotta go do life now. Geriatric Teen Mom, out.