Dear Ben,

So here we are, about to celebrate your ELEVENTH birthday. You're officially a middle schooler and you've celebrated a year anniversary with your first girlfriend, both of which leave me feeling pretty ancient.

But if we both have to keep getting older (since I haven't figured out how to freeze time just yet), at least I am lucky enough to be watching you grow into a wonderful young man. You are caring, hilariously funny, aggressively curious, and full of energy. I love watching you wrestle with new ideas and listen to your enthusiasm as you recount facts and tidbits of knowledge you pick up throughout your day. You are always quick with a kiss or a snuggle, and you truly seem to understand that the world needs more kindness to make it a better place.

That all being said, though, you aren't always a picnic to live with. You tend toward absent-mindedness and can be more than a little scatterbrained. You haven't developed as much independence as I wish for sometimes, needing several reminders to get yourself organized and out the door each morning. We learned at a recent parent-teacher conference that your teacher notice some of the same challenges: you fidget and forget to fully read instructions; you can get carried away with the silliness of your peers; you get frustrated when you know the answers and don't want to explain your work; you get lost in your thoughts and forget the task at hand. You are always quick to correct, they assured us, but they also wish you would perform to what is clearly your full potential. One teacher even said, "He's obviously a genius..." But we know that natural ability will only get you so far and we will be working hard this year to help you build responsibility and diligence, and as a result respect for your teachers and parents as well as yourself. You owe it to yourself to be the best you that you can be.

And I know that you will get there. I remind myself every day that you are younger than all of your classmates and younger than your sister was when she was at this stage in school. You will have challenges, but none that you aren't up for. You want to improve, you just need some help learning the skills. As your parents, it is our job to provide you with that help and support. We love seeing you grow, and it is an incredible feeling to watch your satisfaction at a job well done.

This year has brought a lot of change, and I know that it will only go faster from here on out. I welcome the good and the scary, the celebrations and the challenges. I can't wait to see the person you will become. But during that process, I hope you still want to crawl into bed for a cuddle when you can't sleep like you did last night. You'll never be too grown for that!

I love you.
Mama