This boy is seventeen years old today!!! Yep, at 6:30 am my baby turned 17 years old. Can't believe it...I can't tell you the love I have for this young man...
My first born...my baby...is growing so fast...too fast.
I have a poem in my Bible - even laminated it and kept it after all these years...a poem that my mom left on my bed one night after I had been out with my friends in high school. I think we might have had an argument before I left. I came home to this on my bed:
Some day when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a parent, I will tell them:
I loved you enough to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home.
I loved you enough to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself, even though we could afford to buy one for you.
I loved you enough to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough to make you take a Milky Way back to the drugstore (with a bite out of it) and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday, and want to pay for it."
I loved you enough to stand over you for 2 hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken me 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.
But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it. Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end, you won too.
I get it now, mom. I really, truly do.
As I relive those days, I can totally feel what my parents felt. I truly know the passion that a parent feels for their children. Such a confliction of never wanting to let them grow up and knowing they have to and wanting to lay the correct foundation for them as they do it. Trying to lead and be examples. It's hard being a parent, but it is also the greatest gift. I think Ben and I are doing a good job...we are learning as we go, but we are giving it all we got.
Happy Birthday, Trenton! We love you!
4 comments:
Hope he has a great day. Happy Birhtday Trenton! You'll have to tell him that Presley (and Addy too kind of) colored a card for him, but we left it at home. We'll get it to him soon. It's so hard for me to imagine having a 17 year old... scary that it happens so fast. And we're only on almost 2 and 3.
Trent,
Happy Birthday! You are a wonderful young man. May you have many more with plenty of happiness, health, wealth and love.
Cindy & Ben,
I for one think you are doing a great job as parents. You love your children and they love you. Keep up thge great job!
Don
I can't remember if I told you or not, but I have student named Trenton in my class who had a birthday the same day as your Trenton. How neat is that?
I heard you saying something to my mom the other day about a Trenton in your class...maybe that's what you were telling her...
That is really cool. Not too many Trentons around, let alone a birthday on the same day.
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