My son Tyler is fifteen. When I was pregnant with him I prayed for a boy. We had two girls and I just wanted a little boy for my husband, to do manly things with! I was so happy when I found out during my pregnancy that I was having a boy. And I even let Dave choose his first name. I wanted to name him Louis after the priest who married us, so we settled on Louis as the middle name because Dave loved the name Tyler.
Tyler was way over due. If I remember correctly I was due on December 13th with him. I had him on December 29th. That was a fun Christmas! The gramma's had bought him gifts thinking he was going to be in this world, I believe I even received a few, "Baby's first Christmas", type things. But to no avail. He showed up right before New Year's Eve.
I remember holding him in the hospital, thinking, "I just had a boy!". A big boy too. My second largest baby at 10 pounds, one ounce. He was a big boy. And I was just totally in love with my new baby boy. I couldn't stop being amazed at the fact that my body had produced a boy. I don't know why I was so taken with that notion, but I just was.
It all stopped when he started acting like one! He would climb the curtains, do destructive things with permanent markers. Dave would say to me, "Why would a boy do something like that?" and I would say, "Because he is a boy". Boys do destructive things. Because they want to see what will happen. They fill the tub until it overflows just to see what will happen. With the tub and with mom and dad. They learn how to write their name and then they use every writing tool you have in the house to put their name on furniture, walls, the fridge and outdoor patio furniture. And when you ask them why, they say, "I didn't do it! Must have been Emily!"
But for all of that, I love my Tyler. He is tall and handsome. He is going into his sophmore year, and the girls like him, which totally grosses out his older two sisters. "Eeewww. That's my brother!" is their answer to any girl who asks them, "Who is that cute boy you were talking to?" They find it hard to believe that anyone would find him cute, although Liz does admit that she knows girls can't resist Tyler's hair. Yeah, my son is a hunk.
And moms, doesn't it make your heart melt when your son who you rocked once, now towers over you and bends down to give you a kiss on the cheek? No, it doesn't happen often enough, and it usually precedes a question like:"Mom, can I have five bucks to.....". But I savor every kiss and hug I get from the boy.
Because of Tyler I actually follow one of the local sports teams. He made me a huge Sabres fan. I love hockey and I just started getting in to it and we have fun talking about the team and players. Tyler is a super huge sports fanatic. He will listen to, watch and follow, just about any sport. I always say, if it is two people spitting in a bucket and they are keeping score, Tyler will watch it and know the names of every player and champion. He is so smart, he remembers everything. His mind is like a sponge. He takes it all in.
Unfortunately, he doesn't always use his noggin when it comes to school. It's not that he isn't smart enough, he is just too lazy at times to DO HIS HOMEWORK!!!!! I need a recording of me saying, "Tyler, did you do your homework?" Cause I am tired of repeating myself. Sometimes I want to knock myself in the head over the boy. He is a strong willed, stubborn boy who sometimes does not know when to stop talking!!
But, I love him. And I like him too. He is funny and smart. I enjoy talking to him and I love that he talks to me about sports, even though he knows that I know practically nothing about sports, especially football. He wants to make me a fan of football, but he has a tough quest there. I hate football. I know, it's unAmerican to hate football, but I do. But Tyler talks to me about these things and I enjoy listening to him. I am proud of the fact that we have such a nice relationship and can talk to each other, and that even though he is fifteen, he still likes to talk with his mom.
At his best, Tyler can be really helpful. He is not so good at dealing with his little sister Amelia, because they are both strong willed, ditto his relationship with older sister Emily. But it makes me cry when I see how gentle he is with his little sister Teresa. You can see in his face how much she delights him. He gets along great with Liz for the most part, they have their moments, but I think they are really close.
Tyler wants to be a sports broadcaster some day. I think he will achieve his goals if he puts his mind to it. He is a good kid inside and I love him to pieces. I know I have a son who will always watch over his mom. He can be a huge challenge for me, and I probably have yelled at him more than the others, but I have always believed that God has a special plan for Tyler, and I think that is why we have such struggles with him. Now Tyler needs to believe that God has a special plan for him, and I pray that God will make him a strong willed, loving, kind, gentle man.
For now, I will keep encouraging him, listening and encouraging. I am so proud of my son, and I love him very much.
Go Sabres!
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