Nathan is 14!! We are definitely in full teenager mode now. As I look back on photos of him just last year, I can't believe how much he has changed! He's definitely looking older--amazing how fast it all happens! So far I would say the teenage years have been better than I expected. Not to say there aren't challenges--it's a whole different type of parenting than when they were little kids. But it's also fun to connect with Nate in a different way now and for our relationship with him to evolve. Not to mention teenagers are just funny and entertaining--even when they're not trying to be.
I'm trying really hard to empathize and remember what it felt like when I was this age. I think about it all the time when trying to figure out a response, piece of advice, how to offer support, etc. But at the same time, Nathan is managing so many more things that I didn't have to--namely cell phones and technology. Definitely tricky to navigate. Lots of distractions and social dynamics.
Luckily, Nathan is a pretty happy, easygoing kid. He's pleasant to be around, fun to talk to, and pretty content. So far we haven't experienced a lot of moodiness, backlash or outbursts from him. Not that he doesn't like to push the boundaries sometimes as would be expected at this age. But overall Nate is a really great kid to be around.
For his birthday this year he wanted to celebrate with friends. We brought him and 4 other boys to the mall and then to pizza. I love that kids want to go to the mall these days because that's what I was doing at this age! Fun to see some things never change. He has such a great group of friends right now including Jetson, Satvik, Patty and Mason.
Here are some elements we don't want to forget from age 14:
- Friends and social life totally turned a corner for Nate this past year. He finally found friends who are kind, accepting, fun, and love Nate for who he is. I'm so grateful that all our conversations around friendship paid off because once he let go of trying to chase some of the "popular" crowd, he found true friends who are easy to be with and help him feel confident in who he is. This past year he's had more sleepovers than he's had in his whole childhood. And most days he leaves on his e-scooter to go meet up with friends to hang on the Ridge or hang at someone's house. It makes our hearts so happy!
- Nate is still playing soccer for Cascade FC. He has really grown stronger and more skilled this past year which has been fun to watch. And now his buddies Jetson and Satvik are on his team which has really made soccer even more enjoyable and fun for him. He even had a few goals over the summer in some tournaments! His other major sport is still skiing as well. He did ski bus last year for the second time which he really loved although sadly the snow wasn't great this past year. Hoping for a better season this year!
- Most days if he's not with friends, Nate can be found drawing. He has the most creative ideas for drawing--characters, logos/brands, landscapes, maps, etc. And he's so talented at it. We love seeing what he comes up with and it's a great downtime activity for him. It's also a good bonding activity for him and Cam to do together.
- He has evolved his reading interests a bit this year. He still really likes reading history, but he's also added suspense/scary books to his library--namely Stephen King books. He loves the movie Stand by Me and when he realized it was based off the Stephen King book, The Body, he jumped at reading it. Another favorite book he read this year was Boys in the Boat.
- Nate has really good hair. :) He has worked hard to grow it out and figure out just the right product to use on it so it has the perfect amount of fluff and waviness. I'm actually quite impressed! He threatens to shave it all off, but he's worked so hard to get to this stage I hope he doesn't. His hair is too complicated for James to cut now so he goes to a men's barber. And it's not cheap! But I guess it's worth it to take the pressure off James cutting it.
- Much to my chagrin Nate has started listening to country music this year. :( Country music is ok, but it's not my favorite. Definitely trying to get used to it blasting from him room. Hopefully that interest goes away soon. Ha ha!
- We've reluctantly let Nathan step into the world of social media. He got Snapchat last spring. Eek! It's been mostly good because it's a social lifeline for him and he engages with so many friends through it. I think it helps him feel much more connected socially. But it's also extremely addicting so we've been trying to manage that, set boundaries, etc. Still it feels like a losing battle because these social media platforms are smart and know just how to draw kids in. Plus it's hard to us to monitor everything because it goes away so fast. This is the world we live in now. We know we can't protect him from everything so we're just trying to have lots of conversations, set boundaries as much as we can and hold him accountable.
- His interest in fashion still continues. For fall clothes this year he basically built a capsule wardrobe where he could make multiple outfits out of a set of clothing pieces. He's got really good style and is definitely on trend. And then thing that cracks me up is the trends right now are from when I was his age! The 90's style is back! The problem with him having good taste and being trendy is our budget can't keep up! But it's nice he's so interested in it and cares about looking good.
- Nate has had a few girl crushes this year. ;) And when you like someone these days apparently you say "we're talking." Then the next stage is "dating" which is much more official and serious. So far he hasn't hit the dating stage with anyone--just a few people this year he's "talked" to. Lots of learning and some mistakes along the way but it's been interesting to watch and observe him through it all. And we try to help when he needs it. This fall he'll get to go to Homecoming so looking forward to all that new stuff!
- I can't believe it but Nathan starts high school in the fall. How in the world is that even possible? He's really excited because our high school is amazing and offers all these really interesting classes like marketing, various art classes, criminal justice, woodworking, etc.
- Nate is still growing in his faith. I see him reading his Bible sometimes when he has downtime. And we have really good discussions about our faith, issues in the world, how we want to be in the world, etc. He is not afraid to wrestle with the hard questions which I love.
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