So I didn’t miss my son’s birthday…
I have been in denial of it.
Jonny turned 13 a couple weeks ago. THIRTEEN!
I’ve been teasing him that this year was a backwards birthday and he was going to turn 11 again… or 8… or 5.
Certainly not a teenager!
But he IS getting older.
One thing I have always been worried about is Jonny becoming more self-aware.
As we grow up, we become self-conscious of everything about ourselves.
How we look. How we talk. How we socialize.
We become less concerned about being ourselves and more concerned about being accepted by our peers.
Thankfully, Jonny has not reached this point quite yet.
He still wears his emotions right on his sleeve. He is genuine, thoughtful and caring.
He wants to help people and doesn’t care how he “looks” while doing it.
Jonny has been doing “school work” during the summer. He has been earning privileges for finishing chapter books with Auntie.
Most recently, he earned a movie of his choice at the theater, with soda and popcorn.
Typically, Auntie will take him since she is the one who has been working with him (she is an elementary teacher).
Jonny loves earning these little “dates” with Auntie.
So I was surprised when he wanted ME to take him to the latest Boss Baby movie.
It’s hard for me to do something alone with Jonny because Mama works all week and I typically have Jonah with me.
A lot of arrangements need to be made for Jonah and schedules need to line up to make it happen.
But Jonny was insistent that I be the one to take him.
It took a week of planning, but we eventually figured it out.
Yesterday, we dropped Jonah off at Grammy and Papa’s, and I headed off to the Movie theater with Jonny.
Honestly, I had no desire to watch this movie. Most movies I watch with Jonny have nothing of interest to me.
And “Boss Baby: The Family Business” seemed to follow that trend.
You know what interested me?
A lazy-boy style seat. My feet up. The lights out. And 2-3 hours of “not parenting.”
Win-win!
So I settled in to the recliner seat and began nodding off during the previews.
But as soon as the movie started, my interest was immediately piqued.
“Tim,” the protagonist of the first “Boss Baby” movie, had grown up to become an artistically creative stay-at-home Dad. And he was trying to, amongst other things, reconnect with his oldest adolescent child. 😳
I found myself laughing at the parenting humor, some of it hitting pretty close to home, Jonny ribbing me with his elbows, in case I missed the jokes.
I would tickle and tease him back. Before long the movie was over. Tim reconnected with his daughter and helped her find her creativity.
She just wanted him to be proud of her as she went through the adolescent pains of growing up. 😢
It wasn’t a “great movie” by any means, but it was certainly a great time.
Just me and Jonny.
Come to find out, Jonny had already seen the movie. He was so insistent that I take him because he knew I would relate to it and would appreciate it.
That was the reward he wanted. The reward he EARNED.
He put in a LOT of time not only reading the entire chapter book, but also writing a report about it.
It just blows me away. Jonny could have spent his reward on whatever he wanted.
He just wanted to spend some quality time with his Dad.
I know we all have to grow up some time and it’s hard for me to picture Jonny as anything other than my “Bubba boy.”
I worry a lot about Jonny growing up. I worry about his development. I worry about his friends and his self-confidence.
But one thing I will never worry about is his character.
Because going to that movie with him…
Even though I was the one who had all the money…
…Jonny was the one who paid for it.
Sorry I’m writing this so late, Jonny. Daddy has a tough time letting go of your childhood, but I am SO PROUD of the man you are becoming.
Happy 13th birthday.
#ausome