liam at sixteen

We interrupt this national crisis to bring you something good!

Today Liam is 16, and we celebrated! Sure, we did it pandemic style, but we did it anyway. His two BFFs came over to hang out, and I ordered pizza for them for lunch. That was an experience by itself because apparently "contactless delivery" means the delivery person pulls the pizzas out of the bag, puts the bag on the ground, stacks the pizza boxes on top of the bag, and then waits for someone to notice he's there and go retrieve the pizzas. We managed it, though, and I was excited to discover that one of the two pizza places in town actually delivers to our house. The other delivers to the subdivision across the street (we know because we see the deliveries), but apparently *this* side of the street is just a bridge too far. Your loss, Pizza Hut!

Anyway, the boys stuffed themselves with pizza, played video games (his friends have been careful about distancing all this time, so all of us parents decided this was low risk), came upstairs, had cake (no candles, but they did sing), played rock-paper-scissors, and then played about a million rounds of hide-and-seek. During the last round, my parents were here (to pick Liam up for his birthday dinner) and Liam was excited about hiding up a tree. My dad: How old are they again?? Me: They're sixteen, and SHUT UP, because the longer they think this sweet wholesome fun time is the best thing ever, the happier I'll be!

I'm kidding, but also not. I LOVE that these boys all get together and use their imaginations and play classic games and have a blast doing it. There's plenty of time for not-so-wholesome activities that are most likely going to happen later on, but that's a problem for Future Forts. Present Forts just get to sit back and enjoy the fun.

At 16, our Liam is pretty darned cranky. He speaks in a series of monosyllables and grunts most of the time, and gets awfully impatient when someone asks him to repeat himself or offer more information. But you know what? That's pretty much the worst thing about him, so we're not doing too badly at all. He's got a great work ethic, he manages his time well, he never hesitates to help other people, and he's GREAT with little kids.

One thing I really love is watching Liam with his peers. Whether we're at tennis games or school plays or just at the grocery store and he sees someone he knows, Liam is friendly and open and confident. He's self-assured in a way I definitely wasn't at his age. Mike and I marvel sometimes at how two weird introverted hermits managed to produce a young man who is so comfortable interacting with people, and so good at it. It's a skill that will serve him well as he moves into adulthood, and we're so grateful that he has it.

Like I said, Liam's favorite things are still pretty wholesome. He loves playing with the dogs, playing video games, and group chatting with his friends. But he's definitely working on becoming an adult. In the past year, he has started talking to girls (no details, I'm not here to embarrass him, I'm just documenting), and of course the big development is that he is driving now. The day he got his learner's permit, we walked out of the DMV and I handed him the keys and said, "OK, drive us home." He was so nervous, and he made a couple little mistakes, but he stayed calm and got us home pretty smoothly, even though his adrenaline must have been quite high. And since that day, he's gotten more and more confident (but not cocky) behind the wheel. He still has to wait 90 days and take the driving test, and then he'll be our very own licensed driver. I for one can't wait! I fully plan to turn over the keys to the minivan and let someone else do carpooling duties for a while.

For the upcoming school year, Liam decided to take all the hard classes. Calculus, AP Physics, AP English, advanced chemistry ... it makes me tired just thinking about it. But he's excited about it. He's ready to learn new things and challenge himself. He also decided this year to drop Spanish in favor of taking two years of American sign language, and I heartily approve that choice. And yes, all this is in addition to tennis, speech, the community service club, and all the other things he does. He's going to be busy!

We are so proud and continually amazed by this young man. Liam, we can't wait to see where the next year takes you! We love you so much.