The last unlegal year

I'm a little late with this post, but we know my heart meant all the goods.

You turned 17 this year and boy was that a hard one for me. 

It's not just the deeper voice or the hair on your armpits (TMI?), it's the person you are becoming.

We both trudged through 16 together and it was met with a million and one obstacles but just as many chances to grow and learn. For me, 16 will be the year I grew up as a mom - it defined my style and who I am as a momma. I pray that for you, you'll see it as the year you gained the biggest cheerleader ever in me. You sweet boy, will always be just that - my sweet boy.

This past year you started working and earning your own cash. You got a bit more freedom than ever before. You quit a sport you'd enjoyed playing for 8 years to move on to another brand new one. You also got a bit more serious about your interest in politics, defining your stance on many social issues. This was probably your most social year yet.

Watching you grow up has been extremely hard. Not because you are growing up (although that’s been a tough one) but because I watch you struggle in a world filled with people who have yet to figure themselves out, living in a less than real environment (social media), trying to find out who it is God has called you to be with a ton of pressures coming from all sides. This is the part I wish I could shield you from. This is the part where letting go is harder than anything I’ve ever done before. This is a part where I must rely on God more than ever and my faith is being put to the test right along with yours. 

I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. Funny, ridiculously smart, witty, intellectual, respectful, perceptive, dependable, loyal, adventurous, passionate, courageous, and so much more. I hate to say you are most like me because you are truly, most like you… but there are so many parts of you that I connect with and so because of that, I feel like I understand your heart a bit more.

So here we are 17 and there's so much you have yet to learn and so do I! We have lots of plans for these next 12 months, foundations to your next new adventure - life after high school. I'm excited that I get to help you, guide you, and love you through all these new experiences.

I love you Peanut, more than you'll ever understand.

Happy 17th birthday,

Mom