liam at eleven

Liam has always been independent. As a baby, it didn't bother him one bit to play in a room by himself for long stretches of time. He never really had separation anxiety, and he rarely worries if one of us is running late to pick him up. Now that he's older, he gets to and from school by himself (on the bus) and likes going for solo bike rides. And while we encourage his independence, we're not crazy about it when it manifests in him not feeling like he has to stay with us in large public places or new cities. Like, say, Washington, DC, where we were last week.

It feels so fast that we now have a child who doesn't fit in the "under ten" category! He is growing up so fast. He has a cell phone, and contacts, and he's done with the first stage of braces. Before we know it he will have his driver's license and be registered to vote. Amazing.

Our sunny boy has definitely turned the corner into moody preteen. He is angry a lot for reasons that completely baffle us, and he has trouble getting along with Mike for any length of time (we're talking minutes here, not hours). I suspect that's because they are so much alike, because this is definitely less of an issue (though still present) when he is with me. He is chafing at the bit for ... something. I'm not sure he even realizes what it is, or stops to consider why it makes him so moody not to have it. You know how it goes.

Last year during school, the boys and girls were separated for "the talk." That night, Liam passed along all his newfound knowledge to his brothers (in great detail!), and they were all suitably grossed out. Liam decided as a result that he won't be having any children because he doesn't want any part in the process that he would have to undergo to make them. I suggested that perhaps we could revisit the issue in five to ten years to see if he feels any different.

Our Liam is still very smart and sporty. He's spending his summer playing baseball and tennis, swimming at Price's Pond, and riding his bike. He graduated this summer to a man-size bike, so we gave him Mike's mountain bike (which means Mike will get a new bike, about which he is very excited). He spent some time mountain biking with Mike last fall and really liked it, so I see lots and lots of bike trips in our future.

You know, I'm not really one to mourn the passing of the baby years, or to wish I could keep my kids young. But this stage Liam is entering ... most of it is totally fine, but I just want to tell him to hold on, that he has plenty of time to hate us later, so maybe he could put that part off a bit. Let's all keep our fingers crossed. In the meantime, here's wishing our Liam a very, very, very happy birthday!