Summer 2015 Update, Part IV-b: The Kids (H)

Last day of 9th grade.

H is 15.  His growth took off over the past year and he's man-sized now.  It's freakish how quickly that happened and yet, it's extremely useful, too, since I'm only 5'3" and getting all my old lady traits in place.  When heavy stuff needs to get moved, I can call on our son.  When something on the high shelf needs to come down, I can call on our son.  All his usefulness is a good balance for his more surly teenager personality traits that have also revealed themselves to new levels in the past year.  Ha!

But seriously, he's a good kid.  He truly loves the Lord and seeks to grow in faith all the time. And he has worked at being more servant-hearted than ever before.  He is usually the first to volunteer when I need an extra job done around the house and he doesn't typically complain about it.  I love this attitude.

H still loves helping out and attending library events and he lives for youth group and church events.  He is an extremely social kid and no matter how many groups we participate in, there is never enough social interaction to appease him.  This can be a challenge for someone like me who tends towards more introversion, but I'm trying to see things through his eyes more often.

In recent months, we started going to a gym for homeschool P.E. and though H has never been much for physical activity, he really gravitated towards the strength training.  He's doing an amazing job getting fit and strong.  Building a more muscular physique.  He has also been self-disciplined about his eating habits -- cutting out most sweets and limiting his bread intake.  All this on his own.  He drinks a ton of water and that's mostly all he drinks.  He fills up two-liter bottles to keep track of his water intake in a day.  I could learn a thing or two from him on that subject.

He volunteers at our church and is in the leadership training program as he considers his future and the possibility that God is calling him to ministry.  He recently returned from youth camp and what an amazing transformation in his spirit!  I always used to tell people he was a pessimist and though it's now been a few weeks since camp and some of the glow has worn off, he has a much more positive outlook in life and a more humble attitude when he makes a mistake.  I can't say that he is a pessimist anymore.  It's refreshing to see him trying to be a better leader for his younger siblings and others who look up to him.

H still misses his friends in New Mexico and if he had a choice, I think he'd still want to live there.  In the meantime, he is finding things to appreciate about Texas and trying his best to take things like insects and humidity in stride. He is making some new friends mostly through church, but I have a feeling that if we can stay involved with the new homeschool group we found, he will make some good connections there as well.  I know there are several teenagers in the group and he is sure to scope them out.

He is very anxious to be 16 so he can get a work permit and a job.  In the meantime, he spends his time making and selling paracord bracelets, reading book after book and playing on his Nintendo DS.

I keep telling him he will make someone a good husband one day (he blushes and then smiles) and I mean it.  We are proud of our son, H.  We may butt heads still at times, but I know God will use his stubbornness for good in the long run.  I'm excited to see what the future holds for him.