On my son's thirteenth birthday

Spring is coming along, as we can tell by the warming temperatures and the Spring Forward clock reset, and by the fact that its my little boy's birthday. He is turning 13 today. In some cultures this marks the entry to adulthood and I have been using this to try and convince him that its time to step up and take some responsibility for the direction of his foray into the world. He seems to be a generally good kid, with some attendant liveliness that would have been admired a generation ago but is now deemed "disruptive" by his instructors. My kid has a sense of curiosity and wonder that he can't totally disguise in his pose as a "cool kid". He loves cute baby animals and will jump up from his computer to see guinea pigs walking around making squeaky noises. He is a student of literature and history, and hockey and skateboarding. And discus throwing. There is nothing I like more than having a conversation with him, especially about something like an old movie we have watched or a meal we have eaten. He is very thoughtful for a young boy. I think he is as smart as a whip, and as creative as the day is long. I hope he makes good use of these talents to create a slightly better world.