Well, that was fast

A fitting exercise from my German Duo Lingo today

Today, Elliot turns 16. It’s crazy when you think about it. That happened so quickly. Too quickly. I could reminisce about him here, with baby pictures and stories, but I don’t think I will.* Instead I will take a second just to say how incredibly proud I am of him and all that he’s accomplished in these 16 years. An international move. A new school. New friends. New hobbies and habits. All during what can be a turbulent age. It’s pretty impressive.

Sixteen is a big milestone. If we were back home, he’d be getting his driver’s license and reveling in a new form of independence. Instead we are in Germany, where he can now legally buy and consume beer and wine. Here he’ll have to wait two more years for a license if he wants one; but he has full range of independence already because of the public transit system and the relative safety of our city.

He’s always been a low key kid for his birthdays. He doesn’t ask for much. This year he chose his birthday dinner (shrimp and scallop risotto), but even more special, he asked to make it with his dad so he can keep learning kitchen skills.

I love that boy so very much. He’s a good kid, and he’s turning into a great young man. Happy birthday, Elliot. You made me a mother, and for that I will always be grateful.

*Part of the challenges with teens and  blogs is that they decide they do not want personal information — seemingly embarrassing information — captured and shared. They both love, love, love our book versions of our family blogs (which, incidentally date back to 2001, before blogs were even a thing, all thanks to the ubergeek).But lately they both have asked that I respect their desire not to have the details of their lives up on the internet. 

I think we will all regret the lack of stories and anecdotes. I am trying to respect their privacy, but that doesn’t mean that I want to lose some of the amazing (or totally normal and everyday) memories.  It’s a balancing act, and one that I’m not doing well at these days. I’ll see if I can figure a way to capture for posterity without sharing with the seemingly wide world.