Coach Karen

Finding Your Pearls

 

Do something everyday

that gets you closer to your goals.

 

 

Goal Getter

What’s one goal you set for yourself this year on which you are making progress?
What’s one goal for this year for which you may have lost focus? What’s ONE STEP you can take today to move closer to obtaining that goal? Do it!
www.FYPCoachKaren.com

Advice. Life. Empowerment. Ambitions. Self-Esteem. Friendship. Confidence.

Ode to My Now Teen

 

Ode to My Now Teen

Ode to My Now Teen

It’s hard to believe my little boy is now a teen!

Was it not just yesterday my baby learned to walk?!  I recall those smiling eyes that said “Watch, Mommy!” as he took 3 steps between my parent’s bar stools.  I tear up thinking he waited until I got home from work to show me what he was prepared to do.  Now he can run circles around me.

Was it not just the other day he learned to talk?!  I recall sitting him on the check-out counter of a little shop when the checker leaned over to him to ask his name.  Before I could respond, he did.  What a sweet, sweet sound to hear him speak his own name.  Now if I could just get him to stop repeating “Mom, mom, mom, mommy, mom, mom, …” over and over just to get my attention.

Was it not just yesterday he learned how to spell?!  I recall him coming home from Montessori preschool excited to show me what he had learned.  Beckoning me into the kitchen, he pointed to a button on the refrigerator water and ice dispenser.  “Lock,” he said.  “L-O-C-K,” he continued, pointing at each letter on the button.  He then followed it with “Don’t touch!” (mimicking me who had to find the manual to unlock the function after he pushed it every 3-4 months).  Now he can spell words I have trouble pronouncing.

Walking, speaking, and writing are just many of the “tricks” my little boy has learned along the way.

I recall being able to give myself an extra 5 minutes of time knowing that that was how long it took him to remove both socks from his tiny baby feet.  Oh, did he love to go barefoot!

I recall his fascination with the toilet flush, and was surprised when Mommy wasn’t too happy after rescuing the TV remote control from the eye of the swirl.

I recall his first lesson in electricity after shocking himself trying to plug in a hand blender in the only open outlet he could reach carelessly left open after Mommy vacuumed.

I recall it taking more time for me to install the child-proof lock on the dishwasher than it did for him to find out how to unlock it.

I recall Mommy’s kisses healing any boo-boo or fear.

I recall the day he cried when he honestly thought Mommy had swapped his ear and nose.

I recall one of his favorite pass times as a toddler was to redecorate Mommy’s kitchen floor with all the pots, pans, Tupperware, and such that he could pull out of kitchen drawers and cabinets.  With a wooden spoon in both hands, I swore that kid was going to become a drummer!

When asked if he wanted a grilled cheese sandwich, I recall him exclaiming “No, I want a boy-cheese sandwich!”

As a 5-year-old kindergartner, he announced that he would never leave me, and would always live with me.  I reminded him then that he might change his mind someday.

I recall the day girls caught his eye.  Ah, the innocence of youth …  I recall a little girl exclaiming to her father on the last day of kindergarten that she was going to marry my son one day.   Just a year before, I helped him buy a big plastic ring to propose to a little girl in day care just like Mommy who had just received her own marriage proposal.

I recall his inquisitive mind asking questions such as “Why do they call it a window when wind doesn’t blow through it, and it’s not made of dough?” Or … “Why doesn’t hair bleed when you cut it?”  Those inquiries have turned to concepts beyond my knowledge where I find myself seeking the guidance of Google.  Aw, yes, the look on his older sister’s face when she heard us Googling types of illegal drugs and discussing their side effects purely based on his innocent questions.

I recall the dreadful day we had to tell him his father passed away.  He was only 9-years-old.  No child should go through that loss.  My son grew stronger.

I recall helping him put together school projects like the shoe box display of a rare snake, or the kindergarten Leprechaun trap his step-brother helped him with made out of Legos.  I now only hear about major school projects upon their grading.  I feel a little loss knowing that my little boy no longer needs my help nor that of an older sibling.

I recall my smart boy being placed in middle school honors classes only to find he had to WORK for his grades.  Some foreign letters other than A’s and B’s found their way onto his progress report.  He learned the hard lesson of making up missed classes, staying up late to complete homework or study for a test, and communicating directly with the teachers.

He’s learning the lesson of managing his time while balancing activities like school, homework, sports, and other after school activities.

To my pride, he’s learning about managing finances with his first debit card, and creating and managing a budget.  He even asked if he could start investing!

I recall numerous times I’ve engaged in debate with this future United Nations Negotiator over simple things like doing homework, watching a movie, or going to bed.  Gone are the days of “Because I told you so.”

That shy little Cub Scout selling popcorn in front of the local grocery store is now a Boy Scout Den Leader.

My “little boy” has a “caterpillar” developing on his upper lip!

My “little boy” is taller than me!

My “little boy” … is now a teen!

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