liam at twelve

This year, for the first time, when asked, Liam couldn't easily rattle off a dozen things he wanted for his birthday. In fact, he had trouble coming up with one thing he wanted for his birthday. Maybe I'm reading too much into this detail and he's really just a spoiled brat who has everything just naturally fall into his lap ... but I don't think so. In fact, as one of the people who routinely tells him no, I feel pretty confident that being spoiled isn't the reason. I think it's because he's happy with his life, and he's secure in knowing that he has the things that really matter. I mean, yeah, already having video games and electronics doesn't hurt, but at heart I think Liam is a very content kid. (Which of course makes me a pretty satisfied parent.)

He's also a very funny kid. Earlier today, I heard him on the phone talking to his Grandma Barb. He thanked her for her gifts, and then he told her that he was excited about going out for a birthday dinner to Red Lobster. She must have asked him what he would eat, because then I heard him say, "Oh, I'll probably eat a bunch of biscuits [the free biscuits that they bring to your table while you wait for your order], then order something really expensive that I'll be too full to finish." HA! But if you know Liam, you won't be surprised to learn that he actually did finish his expensive entree, along with biscuits, appetizers, AND a bowl of birthday ice cream for dessert.

At twelve, our Liam is daring and unafraid and sure on his feet. Whenever we go somewhere, he is the first one to look to me for permission to climb a rock or cross a stream on a fallen tree or explore an area off the beaten path. And at home, he has broadened his horizons, riding his bike across the busiest parts of town to spend time with cousin Jimmy -- you know, not to mention the fact that he was brave and determined enough to finish a 30-mile bike ride with his parents this summer. He hasn't really discovered yet that there will be things in life he simply *can't* do, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible.

He's a classic preteen in that he doesn't talk much to us anymore, preferring instead to play on his phone and spend time in his room, but sometimes we catch him at the right moment, and he opens up. When we were doing our training rides for Bike the Drive, just the two of us out on deserted country roads, he told me a lot about school and his peers and how he deals with the pressures of being a sixth grader. And in just over a month, he'll start at a new school -- JUNIOR HIGH -- and be faced with a new set of pressures as a seventh grader. But I feel sure that he'll navigate those waters as nimbly as he handled his first kayak trip yesterday.

He's a kid on the move toward becoming a young man, and in some ways all we can do is watch him go and hope for the best. And that's a very scary thing, but at the same time, I feel like he has a really solid foundation from which he can venture forth into the world ... and watching that happen is a pure joy.

Happy birthday, Liam! We love you so very much.