Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Birthday Blues

Today I threatened to buy my teenage son red skinny jeans; which, by the way, may be his greatest fear. No matter how much he integrates into the French system, he will not succumb to colored pants or man-bags. The boy has his limits!

And actually, it's not that I want Chandler to wear red skinny jeans. It's that I want Chandler to tell me what he wants for his 16th birthday, and he can't seem to come up with anything. Since 16 year-olds can't drive in France, he is (thankfully) not dreaming of a car. He likes video games, but claims he has enough of those (What!?!). He reads a lot, but doesn't have anything on his wish list at the moment. He enjoys music, but tends to be happy with what others in the family buy. I've known and loved the kid for 16 years, and I can't think of anything to get him for his birthday!

The real problem is this: Chandler is content.

In a world where many live always wanting more I have been blessed with a son (two actually) who rarely want anything. What is a mother to do? Of course it is a beautiful thing to know that they have already figured out what Paul meant when he wrote, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." But I am a first-world mama in need of a first-world birthday present for my third-culture kid! I love that he doesn't want anything, yet I can't not get him something!

Or can I?

What kind of radical parenting would that be? Probably a better option than the red skinny jeans. 

2 comments:

  1. Happy birthday, Chan, and I agree with you...red skinny jeans wouldn't work. :) - Josh

    ReplyDelete

 
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