Teenagers

As I was sitting at the pool today talking with a couple of my good friends, one of them (Shannon) asks me if I have seen the movie Ratatoullie. I have, and for those of you that have, remember the guy with the curly hair with the mouse? Well, that is the animated version of my oldest son Derek. He has the curly hair, the slightly larger nose, goofy, and clumsy. I love him to death! We have a very good relationship, and he is pretty open with me about teenage things. I ask a lot of questions, and he knows that, I may not approve of everything, and he may still get punished for what he has done, he still tells me a lot about his friends and things they do. He is 16 and does not yet have his license. He has taken the written part, but has not done the driving part. I can't teach him, because I grew up in Dumas, a small town, and you don't drive over 35 in town. I am too afraid for both of us if I try to teach him and Sean is too busy with work. So, he isn't bugging me to get him in Road Runner, and I haven't pushed much. He knows the ball is in his court. But we were going to get him enrolled one day about a month ago, but because he left his drivers permit in his pocket, it got washed and fell apart. So we had to go to the DMV to get a new one before he enrolled. Well, I drive us there and am ready to wait in the car for a while, when about a minute later he comes back to the car and says there is a long line, can we come back tomorrow? I of course start laughing. When is there ever not a line? He of course doesn't get it and gets mad. He is a teenager and thinks that he knows everything. Its hard not to think of him as an adult sometimes, because he is taller than me. But I heard or read that you don't really think as an adult until around the age of 22. I think back to when I was a teenager, and their way of thinking hasn't changed much from then. You think you know everything, and you think you know whats best for you.

I can't believe my son is 16. I just don't know where the time went. Although I miss the little Derek, I am happy with who he is becoming (for the most part, I wish he would make better grades, but that's another blog). He has a good heart, looks don't matter, he will be your friend if you let him, he has a good sense of humor, loves music, loves to help people and loves the Lord. I think Sean and I have done a pretty good job. But I know there will be more blogs to come that I will be gripping because he is driving me crazy, or did something stupid. You know its gonna happen.

I will post pictures as soon as I figure out how.