12 the third

Thomas is 12; the last of the boys in his last year before becoming a teenager. There is only one more year until we have three of them in the house. In four more years we’ll have to survive a year of four teenagers. Heaven forbid.

Thomas continues to be very much Thomas. I know that sounds kind of lame, but like all kids, he really does have his own personality and it means something to me. Thomas is the child in the family I would deem most likely to be the class clown.

Thomas decided this year that he’d like to play club soccer and so we took him out to Plympton Bulldogs where he played in their under 12 team. It has been great for him. He’s come a long way in terms of his confidence on the field and played some really good games of football, even if it was something of a task to make sure that he got to training and games each week!

Thomas still retains his capacity for deep thought, surprising me every now and then with a question about the more serious side of life. He’s a thinker, even if most of the thought is consumed in coming up with ways in which to be funny.

Thomas’ speech has come a long way from the early days of his development and its rare now that I feel the need to stop and get him to repeat what he’s said. I am so proud of how hard he’s worked through his whole life to date to get to where he is with it that I just can’t put it into words any better than that.

Thomas is also perhaps the child most likely to compromise, sometimes caught between being in the younger pairing with Emily or wanting to be one of the boys. He generally retains his sense of humour though occasionally, just every now and then decides he’s had enough and that someone else should have a turn at taking one for the team!

I dearly enjoy the time that I get to spend with Thomas and am as proud of him as I am of all the kids.

Happy Birthday Thomas.