eleven

Meaning is not in things but in between them.
-Norman Brown

And that is the tricky thing about birthdays at our house. We try to not blow the roof off for special occasions, rather, try to make the every day, the in between, extraordinary.

Parker is caught in the in between. Tween, is what they call them. Not a child, not a teen. We are trying to make it great but there is so much stacked against this stage of life. I feel strongly that we are running our young people into the ground with crazy schedules & adult demands. Then, it seems to me, when you are a grown man, you are free to be a boy. Video games & Frat house rules, no call to manhood.

In the midst of teaching this boy of ours how to treat a lady, how to budget, & who to seek for advice, he also loves Sports Illustrated for Kids, Ben & Jerry's, & pulling pranks. It is the in between & I am learning to love it. I love having "the Talk" & moments later laughing over whoever farted & won't fess up. I hope there is always this bizarre mix at our house, God forbid we ever start taking ourselves too seriously.