Dear Ben,

Another dreaded teenager in the house. There goes the planet! ;-)

I am definitely not ready for my little man to enter his teenage years, but I don't think that will stop you. I'm trying to roll with it - really I am.

This past year you have been growing like a weed! You have begun to adjust well to your new size. It has been fun watching you fly across the soccer field and fight hard for the ball! Your coaches kept commenting over and over again how much you have improved in just this past season. It was quite humbling to me when we ran the Great Inflatable race together and you beat me on almost every obstacle. Even though you made me feel like an old man, I still had a lot of fun.

You seem to be having a lot more fun in all your activities, too. You have expanded your group of friends and it feels like you are developing deeper relationships with them as well. I'm glad to see you so happy! A wise man once said "consciously practice empathy." Yes, that wise man was me. And yes, it was in my letter to you on the eve of your last birthday. I have seen you grow in this area over the past year. Keep it up. We still have to remind you sometimes that the point of a story should be to engage the listener, not just to vocalize what is on your mind. I love to hear about what excites your mind. Just keep working on paying attention to your audience and finding ways to engage them. It will make you a better friend.

Don't forget about practice. You are reaching the age when you will start seeing impressive results if you focus your interest and practice. This applies to your school work as well as exercise, karate, drums. Set yourself goals and then feel great when you achieve them!

I'm very excited to see what thirteen year old Ben accomplishes. You are a great person. You deserve to achieve your goals as long as you work hard for them. I love you.

Love always,
Daddy