Good Behavior

This morning, I am to visit my son K's school as we are doing a story on what kids are like today. I woke up early in time for his service to pick him up, and as I kissed him goodbye, my son K told me, "Don't embarrass me." I couldn't help but smile. Yes, I know, I am the kind of mom who could embarrass a 12-year-old boy, especially since I sometimes forget that he is already 12 years old.

You see, when your kids are just babies, you are their world; their night and day; their superstar. But once they start growing up, having friends of their own, making up their own minds, you start fading in the background. You're still in their line of sight, of course, but maybe just a tad out of focus.

As K is my youngest, I've had to experience this kind of pulling away four times already, and by now, I'm quite used to the drill. There was the time when I gave a quick kiss goodbye to my second son S at his school (horror of horrors!). When he got home, he told me never to do it again; his classmates might think he was a Mama's boy. There was the time when my eldest son F purposedly started walking behind me at the mall for fear (horror of horrors!) that his friends might see him walking with his mother. And there was that time when my daughter E told me to stop giving her advice (horror of horrors!) because she's already old enough to think on her own.

So, today, I promise, I will be on good behavior, and will do my best to not embarrass my son.