Today you are 13 years old. I don't even know how this is possible. I'm pretty sure that I just brought you home from the hospital last week, all wrapped up in your little hospital nursery toboggan and newborn clothes that you didn't fill up just yet. This day 13 years ago was a good day for me. I no longer had you inside of me making me throw up every few hours. Or have heart burn so bad I couldn't lay down. My feet actually had hope of fitting into more than one pair of shoes again. Oh yes, you were a joy from before day one.
After we got you home, you weren't much easier on me. You cried from about 5 pm to 3 am daily. You spit up every time someone touched you. You were ready to nurse as soon as we would go out in public with you. You had dad and I driving the roads in the middle of the night just to get you to sleep and make the crying stop.
You were a hard headed little toddler. You did things when YOU decided that you wanted to do them and couldn't be talked into things that you weren't ready for. Do not EVEN get me started on potty training you. I'll just say that I wasted about 2 years and 100 million words trying to talk you into tee teeing in the potty on MY timeline. But it happened as easy as pie when YOU finally said that you were ready.
Do you remember the year that I took you to swimming lessons at the college and you were the only kid in the place that dropped out because you simply refused to get into the pool when you were told to? Aaron wasn't ready, so Aaron wasn't doing it. Period. Now you are an awesome swimmer and beg us constantly to put a pool in the back yard. That was done on YOUR time...just like everything else. You have always been the EPITOMY of a strong-willed child.
But here's the cool thing about being a strong-willed child. You turn into a strong-willed teenager. You do things when YOU choose to do them and not when someone else tells you it's time. You have never been a follower, but instead a leader who is respected for being his own way. I have banged my head against the wall many times trying to figure out why in the world you were the way you were and why you couldn't just conform and do what we wanted you to do at the exact time we wanted you to do them. But as I sit here today, I know exactly the reason God made you the way you are.
Welcome to the part of your life where that strong-willed side is actually going to pay off big for you. Before you leave your teen years, you will make many choices. Some very easy ones, some very difficult ones, and some life-changing ones. The things that you do today will forever be in your memories and leave a thumbprint on your heart. Make smart choices. Do not ever treat a girl with disrespect. If she respects herself, she won't put up with you for a minute. It's next to impossible to undo something that has been done or un-say something that has been said, so think before you act.
Think about the big picture for your life. It is easy to get caught up in what is going on right now, and it sometimes makes us lose sight of what our end goal is. Keep your eyes on what you want for your life and make decisions based on getting there. Don't forget to keep God as the forefront of that big picture. He will help you get to where you want to go.
You've thrown up on me, screamed in my ears, caused me to lose more sleep than I care to think about, and made me so mad that I've just had to walk away for a minute, but you are worth EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF IT. I love being your mom, Aaron, and I can't wait to see what all God has planned for you. Stay strong-willed and you will be just fine.
HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY, AARON!!
I love you,
Mom
