Hang On Tight, Entering the Teenage Era!

My oldest turned 13 the other day.  13, t-h-i-r-t-e-e-n, 10 +3 = 13. one three. Ok, you get the point.  For him, he's been marking off the days since the beginning of the month, and  I suspect he looks for hair under his armpits and on his chest.  Just a suspicion when he sticks out his chest and says, "See, a hair!"    He's been shaving the dark shadow over his lip for awhile now and when I don't notice, I get that scowl and deep sigh I've come to hate so much.

He's hungry all the time! Skinny as a rail, but as empty as a 30 gallon barrel, oh my word he can eat! He's begun to lift weights, taking extra care with his appearance since starting Jr. High.  He's gotten so sassy and not in the fun sense but in the sense of I'm ready to knock him back into next week.   

He fights with his siblings, only to stop mid-sentence to measure his height against his sister with the exclamation, " I grew! I have to look down at her now!" (instead of eye to eye) .  Then he's so happy with that, they actually get along for awhile.

He can exasperate me beyond what I thought possible with his thought process and "logic".  Then at that point where I feel like I have been handed too much, even though God promised He wouldn't, I see glimpses of his heart.   The gentleness in hugging a daycare babe,  the sadness in his eyes when he hears of kids hurt or disabled, and the best, when he comes to me and says, "Mom, can you tuck me in?" and "I love you mom!"

With all his bravado and angst of puberty and teenagerdom ( I think I just made up a word) he still needs me. The woman who almost died giving birth to him, the woman who he dared rolls his eyes at when she reminded him to take out the trash , clean his room, and get his homework done.  He needs me.

Now, we (Curt and I) know we are just entering this era, and we do so with a bit of fear and trepidation, but I think we will do alright, and we've seen other parents come out the other side of this just slightly scathed, we hope for the best, and will work hard to see our son emerge a Godly man on the other side.