twelve and a half

Anybody else have one of these?

Very soon, this kid will be 12 and a half. We stopped counting halves for a while there, but now that we are about to have our first teenager in the house, we are becoming increasingly aware of the speed at which it is approaching.

Expecting a teenager feels like I'm pregnant again... a little sick to my stomach, a little anxious of how to care for and feed it, a little afraid of how fast it's growing, and a little excited to meet this new person he's about to turn into.

Spence is a pretty neat kid. He's smart and funny, and surprisingly thoughtful these days. He opened the car door for me today, and he's been helping the girls with their homework lately. He's well bathed, reasonably respectful, and is pulling a killer GPA. But what kind of teen will he be?

I just can't seem to get over the feeling of impending doom! I remember holding him when he was a tiny little baby, fearful even then of the day he would become a teen. I never understood teenagers when I was one- how would I ever get to relate to my own? I feel the need to read up, and I'm taking notes as my friends handle their own teen boys. It's so much like those last months of pregnancy, when you're watching people expertly maneuver their babies, and you think, "I'm totally going to mess this up."

The nice thing about the fact that we come equipped with memories (albeit short and weak, if you're me) is that when we look back at how quickly we picked up the knack of diapers, car seats, strollers, and all that junk, it's easier to know that the same God that guided our poor feeble selves through those days is the same God that shall certainly be here during the 'terrible teens.' It's comforting to me to know that He's raised gazillions of these creatures, and that He'll be right there by my side as we venture into these uncharted waters. I pray that this kid that is strange but wonderful will still like us as he passes through these next few years (and us, him!)- that he'll continue on this road that the Lord has set for him, and that he'll grow into the man that he was created to be... with little residual damage from being the 'guinea teen' of our home!

Blessings!
HisGirl

Direct your children onto the right path,

and when they are older, they will not leave it.
Proverbs 22:6 (nlt)