Signs My Firstborn Is Growing Up

1. He is officially 1 inch shorter than me as of this week. He constantly walks around on his toes to see what it will be like to be taller than me. I think he is counting down the seconds until it is so.

2. He quit going by the his middle name (the name we have always called him) and started to be called by his first name. We didn't know he had done this until we went to parent teacher conference and the teachers kept calling him by his first name. But the girls calling out to him as we passed them in the halls cinched it. I know why he changed - he likes the sound of that name when the girls say it.

3. He has had his first girlfriend, his first kiss, and his first dumping. He was sad for a day and then got over it quick. The girl didn't have the nerve to dump him in person so she had her friend tell his friend to tell him. May I just say that you couldn't pay me enough money to go through my own teen years again? Oh, about the fact that I found out about this girlfriend from his best friend's mom...DS#1 has promised to tell me these things himself. In more than monosyllabic sentences. Or else. And about that kiss......

4. I have found out that he actually looks forward to dating. In our house that doesn't start until age 16. (Since he has already had his first kiss that official dating age will be moved to 21. So says I.)

5. He is definitely concerned with looks and grooming. I can't get DS#2 and #3 to understand that you can't leave the house without combing your hair and brushing your teeth and making sure your clothes are clean. DS#1 remembers all that and has started spraying on smell-good stuff that he buys with his own money. He is also fanatic about his braces and doing what it takes to get them off as soon as possible.

6. DS#1 is looking forward to driving. H has now taken his parents seriously when we tell him that there will be no license to drive until he has his Eagle. Wow, look!, a new interest in Scouting! Whatever it takes.

7. He is starting to get that mature look, the one where you can finally see the adult in him.

8. His conversations show that he is more aware of the world around him. He comes home from school and wants to talk about the news and current events.

Am I old enough to have a son like this? I don't feel that old.....