Boy #1

[sherrardk]

Just had a quick pre-bedtime chat with boy #1 and it struck me what a lovely boy he can be (when he isn't tormenting his siblings or doing his stroppy pre-teenager routine). Made me see the lovely man he could turn in to (fingers crossed).

[Buenchico]

11 years old is a lovely age. (Quite grown up but still a child at heart).
12 years old is even nicer. (Bubbling with energy and self-confidence and usually incredibly helpful and thoughtful)
13? 14? 15? Well, I enjoyed teaching those ages (particularly if I'd taught the same people when they were younger, so that I could follow their development) but, as I'm sure you will remember from your own teaching experience, not everyone likes boys in their early teens!

I'm sure that, with such a lovely Mum, T will grow up to be a fine young man.
After all, he won't have much choice, will he?
;-)

Chris

[ummmm]

Haha....enjoy it while it lasts....

[wolf63]

What age do they turn into grunting demons?

[EvianBaby]

I often think the same of my eldest nephew who is currently 11. He can be a cheeky (and I'm sure naughty) little bugger but often he will do something utterly charming but very heartfelt. I've had a bit of a sh1t time recently and went to have a heart to heart with my sister one night. I went out for a ciggie but he thought I had left and the things I heard him say to his Mum made my heart melt. Made me proud to have such a lovely lad as part of my family.

[sherrardk]

Hi both, yes, you would think I would know better (I had forgotten the half-term incident where I hit the car on the front wall because they were all bickering).

[sara3]

12.5 years

[sherrardk]

Sorry Wolf and Evian, you weren't there when I started typing.

[jno]

good grief, do they even have stroppy pre-teenagers these days?

It's funny, but in my youth we didn't really have teenage trauma at all. Arguments and stuff as always, but no great angst about it. Now it seems to have become an accepted social norm.

[sherrardk]

Sara - that means only one year and one month more of actual conversation :(

[sherrardk]

Jno - we are currently going through the 'my family treat me like dirt' routine. However, his defence, he does take a lot of flak from his younger siblings, if I had to sit in the back of the car with the two he sits with I would be in a right strop too.

[sara3]

if you're lucky, yes :o)

[albaqwerty]

sherr, mine are now only 19 and 17 - 16 months between them, and I went througt the you love him more than me routine. They do appreciated the pre-bedtime chat but dont show it. They do remember it tho xxxx

[EvianBaby]

Ha, very odd. Just logged onto facebook to find the following message from above mentioned nephew.

"ur a really lovely person, u care bout everyone and I ♥ u!!! :)x"

I'll have to have a word about the use of ur and U though. ;op

[sherrardk]

That's nice Evian (agree with the u thing though).

Thanks Alba, it must be a bit tough for the boy being the eldest at times.