Celebrating 15

Of all my kids, he was the one to take off alone.  

Always on the lookout for a new path to follow, an abandoned place to break into, a new neighbor, or hallow tree to explore.  

He was the one who went missing one Christmas day when he was 6 and we found him eating Christmas dinner at the neighbors house with their grandchildren.  

The one who snuck out of the house when I was nursing 1 month-old Maisie and lead to me running down the street calling for him with Maisie still in a tight latch.  

He was discovered at another neighbors house eating pizza with them at the dinner table.  

He was 4.  

The boy was made of curiosity and adventure.

He had places to go and things to do.

There wasn't much standing in his way. 

Of all my kids, he's my risk taker.  

The one who scares me the most.  

He's the bravest, yet the most vulnerable. 

He's making me earn the title of being 'Ross's Mom'

And it's taken me 15 years to learn I cannot corral this kid.  

He's been a caged-up tiger in a zoo for too long.  But he wasn't born a zoo-tiger.  

He was born a jungle tiger.  And he needed more.  

More competition.  More people.  More experiences.  More compassion.  More obstacles to overcome and more push.

No two kids are alike.  

If I've learned anything over the past 15 years, it's that one child cannot be compared to, or parented the same as another child.  

They are all individuals.

Therefore, I've cut yet another strand off the cord, and he's navigating life as a Winterset Husky this year.   

I'm not there to watch over him.  I'm not there to rescue him when he forgets to have his permission form signed, forgets his practice shoes or realizes he doesn't know how to use the credit card correctly for gas at the gas pump.  But he's figuring it out on his own.  

One day he will leave here and have no problem going off on his own.  He's already kinda done it... many times.

So today he turns 15.  In a year he'll be 16.

In a world full of unknowns,  I know his faith is strong and his heart is kind.  I know he is vulnerable, but he is also an overcomer.  

This year he is number 15 on the field.  

I'm choosing to celebrate each day, each hurdle, each success and each day God hand-picked me to be his mom.  

This year I'm celebrating to embrace 15 for so many reasons.