Finding my firstborn!

August 22, 2003 was the day we celebrated ‎ASid turning 2 by taking him to watch Finding Nemo. There were 4 adults and a toddler. Although Sir B had watched the movie already, we were glad he accompanied us! ASid, at that time, had a tendency to not watch a movie to the very end. Craigley and I took turns missing the endings of movies those days, and some days my brother relieved us from that deprivation! Having Sir B there meant that the rest of us could all see a movie from the beginning to the end...for a change!

Fast forward to 2016 and Finding Dory ... I asked ASid if he would like to watch the movie with his Momley for old times' sake?! He was like "Can't! Already made plans with my friends! Sorry!" Part of me was a little crushed; but then I managed to put things in perspective - why would a 14 year old watch an animated family flick with his 41 year old mother? Silly Momley!

ASid's 14th year was challenging. I was told that 13 is rough for girls and 14 for boys. I didn't think much about it then, but perhaps it is true. ASid has been the most unlike his usual self in the last few months.‎ 

... His phone became his best friend ... His friends became more important than ever before ... ‎He became Facebook friends with my dad and not his dad ... 

But then, he also most likely felt unlike his usual self.

... His face broke out ... His body rebelled against him in more ways than one ... His voice cracked ... He shot up in height ...

Some challenges/changes were welcomed and some were despised! It didn't help that Hans kept inquiring about the "red dots" on his older brother's face or that Craigley made "peach fuzz" a catch phrase at the dinner table! To have one's face scrutinized on a daily basis is daunting for sure. No wonder ASid seemed to prefer his own company almost all the time. ‎Perhaps that explains why most teenagers close their doors and shut their families out?!

So, ASid spent the most amount of time, in the last year, in his room. He has emerged to go to school; to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner‎ and the occasional snack; and to watch some TV or Netflix! Some days I look at him and I know exactly who he is and some days I wonder who he is. Could I have lost a boy in the confines of our home?! But then again, I know the boy needs time before he is found.

Meanwhile, I ended up watching Finding Dory with Hans! Well, I have learned to seize those moments when I can. While there are always those moments that could have been, I can’t complain about my life.

On that note, I hope ASid has the most fantastic year of his life…and I hope to find him more outside of his room than inside this year.