16 in Sing

Today Daniel turns 16.  SIXTEEN!   I love birthdays as it always involves some kind of reflection for me.  Where I have been, where I am at and where I am going.   Celebrating this day in Singapore is pretty cool too.  In fact having all 3 kids have their birthdays on this trip has been seriously cool.

He has inherited my travel bug and like much in my life, I romanticize this and like to think its because he was conceived in San Francisco during my travels.   I was 24 and probably should not have been as excited as I was but I was thrilled to be preggers.   The first thing I bought him was a tie-dye hippie style baby gro from Berkley when I went to watch a football game.  My pregnancy with him was amazing.  I was 100% into the the whole thing and loved feeling precious and unique and powerful and healthy.  I felt so strong and fit and very, very clever to grow and birth this baby.  

And now 16 years on here I am with my big teenager and somehow we have both grown up a whole lot.   At home I don't get to spend much time with him.  When he is not at school he is mostly up in his cave sleeping or play station or hanging with friends.  Answers are often monosyllables spoken in this low gruff tone I hardly recognize as his voice.  This holiday has been cool as we have got to hang out together.  He rented a vespa scooter in Thailand and we zoomed around our area in Kata Beach.  Last night we had a drink at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on the 57th floor.  The view is incredible. Now we are off to meet Auntie Nina and tonight its a family dinner and then he is going on this massive G max reverse bungee thing and will be shot into the air at the insane speed of 200km an hour and a height of 60 meters with a G-force of 5.   Its a real Daniel thing, the rush crave, the crazy guy.  Parenting such a boy makes for some hairy moments and any lines on my face I blame on him.  Our journey together has been one of love and respect and fun and we stay close.  He drives me mental and I can cheerfully and not so cheerfully throttle him MANY times but I love my big beautiful boy.

Thanks God for my son.  For entrusting me to raise him.  For giving me Gary to help me raise him and be such a great dad to him.   For keeping him safe and putting your angels on extra alert with all the crazy stupid stuff he gets up to.  Thank you for co-parenting with me.  Please continue to guide me and give me wisdom so I can raise him well.   And thanks again for the opportunity of this holiday!  Love u!!