Kind Of A Big Deal

One week before I head west for Shorty's graduation!

It's a little alarming, to be completely honest. The poor kid is forever eleven in my head, just as he was when I moved out seven years ago. In the meantime, he's grown up and turned into the kid at school in drama, soccer, debate, on the honor roll, leading the youth group -- and the one that takes the Swedish exchange student to prom.

I don't know how they all fit together.

He used to be the kid that was utterly tortured by his two big sisters ... He was kind of a scrawny kid and we could gang up on him a little too easily. We kept him hyped up on Santa beyond the healthy age and he was scared of the basement because we had him convinced there were monsters down there. It wasn't until he was about nine that he had a chance against us -- and by that point we had moved into the Fiercely Protective Sisters range. No one was going to be messing with him on the bus.

Now he's the golden child. He's good at everything; it's enough to make Mia Sorella and I a little jealous. I mean, we were both pretty good at most of the things we did back in high school (I would argue that my own abilities have only deteriorated since then), but that brother of ours is a natural. At everything. It's a bit disturbing.

And, as he is forever eleven, he kind of has me wrapped around his little finger. Heck, we didn't have our first REAL disagreement until last summer. [But don't tell him that -- who knows what trouble that could cause.]

In a week, I get to watch this kid who isn't really a kid anymore walk across a stage and move on with the big things in life. He's going to South Africa this summer to intern with a missions organization, then off to college in the fall. (I'd say where but I don’t actually know. I'm not sure he's certain on that one yet.)

Shorty's all grown up. Thankfully I have at least a week before I actually have to acknowledge that.

Congratulations, kiddo. We're all pretty proud of you, even if we're not great at showing it. You've got a weird and wonderful road ahead of you ...

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