13 Going on 30

The other day, while channel surfing I found Jennifer Garner portraying the wide eyed thirteen year old in a thirty year old body. I thought she did it justice, but no one can touch Tom Hanks performance in Big.

My thirteen year old has shown me the many sides of a tweener. He is starting to seem a little more like a grown up than a kid, but still so young at heart.

It was the last day of seventh grade and my son had gone home with a friend until I could get out of work. I stopped by the school to pick up his eye drops and the beloved secretary shared her observations of my changing boy, "you know now he is insisting on doing his own eye drops." She mentioned how grown up he seems, and I agreed.

When I picked up my son, we decided his friend should come home with us and hang out. Upon arriving home, the two boys announced they were going to clean up my kitchen. They worked together to straighten papers and return toys to their resting spots throughout the house. They even did a few dishes.

Next,they proclaimed they would cook dinner for the family. They proceeded to cut up potatoes and an onion, defrost some chicken and make some peas. They were so proud and pleased with themselves when they called us all to dinner. I supervised a little just to make sure we had reached safe cooking temps.

After dinner, I told them to go play outside while I cleaned up. Near the end of the dishes, I heard the noise of high powered hoses. Not a good sound where I live, lots of dirt. There they were having a high powered water fight complete with hoses and boogie board shields, a muddy mess!

I smiled before, barking at them to turn off the water. I threw beach towels out the door and told them they had to figure out how to get to the shower with out getting mud on my floor.

I reflected on the magical age of thirteen, old enough to be competent at cleaning and cooking and still childlike enough to enjoy the mud like a five year old.

Yes, thirteen is a difficult age in some ways, full of attitude and adjustments. It is also a magical time, watching your child on the brink of his journey to become an adult. I hope I can remember to enjoy the journey with all it's glory from junior chefs in my kitchen to the mud in the hallway.