Beastie Turns Fourteen

 So yesterday Colin turned fourteen.  FOUR-TEEN!  He's no longer barely a teenager, we're all in!  And while he's not the most pleasant in the mornings, he I still get a good night kiss almost every evening.  He's prickly, as teenagers are, but his hugs and humor are absolute gems in my day.  He's becoming a good cook and isn't afraid to try new recipes, and over the past couple of weeks has suddenly taken a huge interest in eating healthy which I assume means he's going to grow another 6 inches soon.

And it was, indeed, a banner day.  A few highlights:

We had our 4-week checkup with the orthopedic (he broke his hand one month ago, to the day), and got the great news that not only was the cast coming off... he is cleared to resume sports.  The only caveat the doctor mentioned is that Colin should not be sliding head-first for at least a few weeks.  (Actually, he said that he recommends NEVER sliding head-first, but my husband and sons assured me that throwing your body head-first toward an immovable object and an opponent who is trying to whack you with a ball "is baseball" so whatever.)

He was showered with presents which included:

• some new workout clothes
• a dress shirt - needed for some of the freshman-for-a-day events he has coming up
• an electric shaver, because I just can't stand that awful peach-fuzz shadow on his upper lip
• a very stylish Guess hoodie from Ryan
• ...and a new phone.  Yes, we're finally retiring my father's old iPhone 8. Colin is now proudly in possession of an iPhone 13 mini (and a cool Otterbox Defender case to protect the delicate phone from rough use by a hulking teenager).

He specifically requested lobster for his birthday dinner, so Hari splashed out on steaks from Outback (with an add-on lobster tail for the boys), and dinner ended with brownies.  Not just your average brownie though... I was instructed to add protein powder to the brownies so they would be "more healthy."

And he ended the night with his favorite activity: Power School.

Then after the rest of the family went to bed, Hari wrote up one of his classic tributes and posted it to Facebook.  It was so perfect I'm going to share it here:

Well my boy, which he will always be no matter how defiantly and rapidly he grows up, is 14 today. Every day we share something, he moves into unchartered waters in his journey and I move into unchartered waters as a parent. We screw up together, we succeed together, but most importantly we share experiences together and that is what I will always cherish . I love having a backstage pass and behind the scenes view to his work in progress and to the road he’s paving towards the future. 

We don’t have all the answers but we know the foundation is laid brick by brick with consistency, determination, attitude, and yes handling failure and set backs.

I like that I’m seeing him enjoy the journey and small victories between goals and competition. I like the friendships he’s making with people that share a goal and motivate each other through workouts and sport. I’m thankful primarily for his Mom, Monica Mode Sharma for dealing with the hardest daily activity of getting him out the door every morning, yes that is his kryptonite, but I am also grateful to his mentors that train, coach, and teach him. They have made wonderful connections with him and they have instilled their core values in him and in turn fueled him with belief and self-confidence that he can produce when it matters the most. 

So I guess you could say I’m proud of my son. I will not lie and say this is easy. I will also say that my biggest fear is letting him down by not navigating the waters or reading the tea leaves correctly for him where he still trusts me to make the best decisions for him. But my Mom always showed me that any decision made out of love and caring can’t be all wrong. 

Lastly, I concede on his 14th birthday, that the transfer of physical prowess has occurred. Yes this is a barbaric and Neanderthal school of thought a father and son have of when there is a transfer of physical strength and power of who is stronger than who. 

Last fall there was an arm wrestling moment after dinner that was tough competition, luckily I had a psychological edge of years of trash talking. He ripped his hand away before we finished because he thought I wasn’t trying my hardest and our arms were at a stalemate. Little did he know that it was taking all my effort to stay dead even with him. After he ripped his hand away I claimed hollow victory but later that night before bed I told him I was 10 seconds away from total collapse and that he would have won. Of course he popped out of bed and wanted a rematch instantly, I told him no way and that I got to call the next rematch and it may be months. But I wanted him to know that he would’ve won if he stuck with it so he realized the valuable lesson that when things seem the hardest you may be just a moment away from success.  

By the way, I will NEVER grant his rematch! (Tap link below to see why he won’t get the rematch!)  What I will do is continue to love him and of course make fun of him for another year to come! Happy Birthday Colin aka Beast and go get um!

Hari then inserted a link to a video from Power School where Colin (EASILY) deadlifted 425 pounds. 

Happy birthday, my boy.  We love you more than you'll ever comprehend.