It is one thing to experience your oldest child turning milestone ages. It is quite another thing to experience it with your youngest.
Jackson turned 16 this past weekend, and I am not lying when I say he is the easiest teenager to live with.
Jackson was our surprise kiddo. We heard about his existence (in utero) on a Saturday night, and by Monday morning, we had temporary custody of him as a newborn. Every step of his birth and adoption was God ordained because there was no way any of us piddly humans could’ve planned it better.
Having already weathered the highs and lows of raising a teen boy, we were strapped in and ready for Jackson to have “teen” on the end of his age. Thirteen came and went. So did fourteen and fifteen, and Jackson still hasn’t lost his cheerful disposition, his desire to help others, or his love for people and animals alike.
Experts will tell you friendship with your child is something you’re rewarded with only after you’ve finished parenting them. I believe this to be true for most parent-child relationships.
However, Jackson is an exception to that rule. He is already a friend of mine. He is a good travel buddy, someone who appreciates goofiness and bad Dad jokes. He is willing to muck it up with me in a modern art installation because we are too immature to understand it.
For all of the ways Jackson has been challenged over the years, his attitude makes up for it. We are grateful for his creativity, joy, and impromptu hugs.
If you didn’t know it already, Jackson is a budding writer and has been working on several projects over the last couple of years. He worked on his current book while on the Metro in Paris and in view of the Eiffel Tower, per his request.
On Saturday, we invited a few of his friends over for pizza and cake. The day kicked off beautifully when he received a call notifying him that he’d been hired for his first part-time job ever (at a movie theater, no less!). We celebrated with hugs and high fives.
Happy 16th Birthday, sweet boy! We love you!
