The Aerie
Well my twins are 14 today. Unbelievable. In a month they start High School.
If you have kids who are 14 or older you get it, if you don't, you don't: Life passes to astoundingly quickly to describe.
My son is funny and insightful and is gaining on me height-wise - I'd be thrilled if he passed me. My daughter is brilliant and talented and is gaining on me in the computer field - she already can build web pages better than I, as my website illustrates.
Fourteen years ago I could hold each of them in the palm of my hand.
They were born two months early. Think about it - they were supposed to be born OCTOBER 3rd. How far away does October Third sound to you? Cold, damp leaves, shrinking days... October is forever away. Now my son's FOOT is bigger than he was when born.
It's weird to contrast my life to theirs. By the time I was their age I had moved twice and been beaten up more times than I care to count. We'd gone from Queens to New Jersey to outstate Minnesota. As far as I know, my kids have never been in a fight, and they've grown up in the same house.
So I've achieved a couple of my goals in life.
I hope it's been as good for them as moving was bad for me. I hope that they have a better foundation than I did by the time I arrived in high school.
For me, high school was where my life began. It was where I met the friends I have til this day. It's where my personality finally gelled. It's where I found my vocation and my self-respect, despite being beaten up several more times along the way.
I hope my kids' 14th year is tons better than mine was...
Posted by Albatross at August 3, 2005 10:22 PM