Dear Carter at 13 Years Old.

Dear Carter,

My sweet and handsome boy. You are 13 years old. In nearly every way, you are what I pictured you would be at this age. As I reflect back to you at 3 years old, majority of the core personality traits are the same. It makes me smile to realize how much of our personalities that we are born with.

You are still rule bound, pretty chill at some things and pretty intense at others. It’s a nice mix. You still come into my bedroom every evening you get home, to say hello and you always ask my opinion when you have a choice to make. I find myself pausing and making you make the decision, as much as I can. I love that you trust me and care what I think.

Recently, while playing The Game of Life with the family, you said you wanted to have 4 kids with 3 girls and then a son last. When you “got married” during the game, I told you you needed to introduce your new bride to us. You got the sweetest smile and really wanted me, you mom, to name her. I couldn’t help but smile.

You are still quite sensitive. Occasionally, I realize that my curt answer or the way I responded to you was too much and I see your gorgeous brown eyes fill with water. I quickly am reminded how much you care.

You are a natural at nearly everything you do, school work, music, sports, skateboarding, even your first day of snow boarding on Christmas Day. You are amazing at nearly everything you touch, well, except for wanting to read this year and the way you and  your sister, Addie, have started getting on one another’s nerves.

You love to talk and share stories of things you experience. I sometimes cut you short and have to remind myself that your attention to detail, your memory and the fact that you want to share so much of it with us, is one of your biggest gifts.

So, my sweet boy, as I picture you with a mouth full of braces and longer hair, I hope you embrace the next year of your precious life and soak it all in, because I know I sure will.

Love you to the moon and back,

Mom