Happy 13th Birthday Oliver!

 

Happy 13th birthday to my OG baby, Oliver! I officially now have a teen and a toddler in my life!! Help. No wonder I’m so tired. Oliver, thank you for making me a mum and teaching me so much. The day you were born saw West London covered in a blanket of snow (a rarity) which made it all the more surreal to suddenly meet you, early, and via an emergency C-section.

You certainly made an entrance and it meant so much to me that years later you demonstrated deep empathy when I shared with you that your birth was traumatic and it took me a while to recover from. You have always known how loved you are and how much you’ve enriched mine, Daddy and the whole family’s lives.

You were certainly born an old soul, wise beyond your years and now you’re more like an 18 year old than 13 and I love that you’re my son and also my best friend. I know one day (maybe soon) that you’ll be embarrassed to walk beside me so I’ll cherish these times we can hang out, laugh at the same jokes and watch TV we both love (Stath Lets Flats, Wednesday and People Do Nothing, being just some of our faves)…School comes easy to you and I’m so proud that you’re a straight A student (effortlessly so, so don’t rest on your laurels) but most of all I want you to be happy and I’m so relieved you’ve settled into your new school and have made great friends.

Your resilience in the face of several school moves and recently a return to Yorkshire shows great maturity and strength of character. Keep being kind (even when your siblings annoy you) and know that you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Here’s to the best year yet! Parents of teens, please share any advice in the comments, I know if I’m anything to go by, these years will be fun but also challenging at times!