I am watching my 15 year old vacuum right now. He came directly home from school...(a little something we worked out last night when he waltzed in an hour and a half after curfew..) and has been compliant, cooperative and even eager to help ever since. This is unusual. Perhaps the proximity to Christmas might have something to do with his astonishingly positive attitude - probably more so than my parenting skills - but hey, I'll take anything I can get.
He is a good kid, though. Beneath all the skulls, video games, tough talk, eye rolling, and even at times belligerence, he is, deep down, the kind of kid ever parent wishes for. He is my blessing spotlight for today, and here's why:
My Ben is driven. He has goals and he achieves them, even when they are hard. Landing a crazy snowboard jump was one of his recent goals. Not even a broken wrist could keep him from trying again and again until he landed it. I have the hair-raising video to prove it.
Ben is brave. Backing down is rarely an option for him. Retreating into the shadows would, a lot of times, be easier than facing the world. Such giving up is something I've seen many teens do - even some of his friends. But not Ben. He is out to live life. To the fullest.
Ben is funny. He makes me laugh everyday. Honestly, though, teenage boy humor often crosses a line. At the end of a joke a mom can often find herself struggling for air in a surprisingly nasty, green-tinged land where she could either gag or laugh. Barf humor is an example of this. It's never really been that funny to me. Ever. But Ben's barf jokes have had me wiping away real laugh-tears on many occasions. I'll spare you the splattering details. (You're welcome)
Ben is tender-hearted. As much as he protests and even tries to hide this aspect of his character, he has always been, and hopefully always will be, a softie. The first manifestation of his mushy, sweet center was when, at the age of two, Ben watched The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. When Tigger sulked away after everyone in the Hundred Acre Woods tells him to stop bouncing, Ben openly wept. "Come back, Tigger," he cried to the TV screen. "I want you to bounce!" A champion for the downtrodden, my Ben is. A true hero.
He is my blessing. The reason I was put on the planet. My treasure. Though sometimes I have to look hard for the positive when it comes to him - he is, after all, 15. But the positive is there. In abundance! It's not even buried that deeply.
In fact, I hope you'll excuse me. I need to stop blogging for today. There is a certain hulking teenage hero that needs a hug right now.
Love to you all,
Sylva Leining
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