You can see it too, right? Last year he was a big gangly boy, and this year it's becoming more clear by the day what he will look like as a man. It's not just his height that I'm talking about here. The way he carries himself, his voice, his comfort with himself — they've all changed drastically in the past year. It's really an amazing process to watch from this vantage point.
At fifteen, our Liam is best described as capable. I don't mean that in a mediocre sense, as in he's "merely" capable of things; I mean it in the sense that he can do anything he sets his mind to. His freshman year of high school has come and gone, and he shows no signs of the small traumas and huge dramas that most of us remember from that period. He had an amazingly successful first year of speech, making it all the way to the state competition. He has balanced a full slate of tough classes with tennis, speech, Interact (a community service club), improv, and a whole lot of other things that I'm probably forgetting about. He has a solid group of friends who support each other as much as they tease each other (like all good families should). He's smart, and he's strong, and he treats other people (with the occasional exception of his brothers) with dignity and humor.
One thing he doesn't have much of, though, is patience. What a shock, right? He is easily frustrated with his brothers, and don't get me started on how easily he gets offended by his parents. But at the same time, he is extremely patient with his younger cousins, letting them climb all over him, taking them for piggyback rides, and keeping them entertained while modeling for them how they can be when they get older. He's also perfectly happy to spend whole days helping my mom around her house, getting chores done that aren't easy for her ... and making brownies together afterward to celebrate the day's accomplishments. So I guess maybe he's just saving his patience for them.
Liam spent the day yesterday with his friends at Sky Zone, running and jumping and generally wearing themselves out. Then we came home, and they played Dungeons & Dragons late into the night, then they got up early this morning to play some more. It's exactly what he wanted for his special day, and I'm so glad we can still make his dreams come true for a little while longer. Very soon, those dreams are going to get much, much bigger, and he will be the architect of making them come true for himself. He's well on his way, and we couldn't be prouder.
Happy birthday, Liam! Now let's get you signed up for driver's ed.
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