This boy

This is Ben (the big one not the little one) in case you didn't know Ben is my son, the little he is cradling is his nephew (my Grandson ;) ) Ben is 14 and Ben makes his Momma proud.
I don't write about him a whole lot because well he's 14 and I like to put pics with my posts and often when he's getting his picture taken he looks a lot like this

Nice huh ? Cracks me up though because he's generally really smiley, but point the camera in his direction and it's all over, whence I don't take many pics of him, add that to the fact that he's 14 and what 14 year old do you know who is going to approve of his mother writing about him on a public blog ? But sometimes you've just gotta  do whatcha' gotta do and he's such a great kid (most times) that I wanted to brag on him and have something to read on the days he drives me nuts to remind me what an awesome person he is behind the teenage hormones that can raise their ugly heads at any given time.
Ben now towers over me, he's 5ft 8 inches, I'm a mere 5 ft 3 inches and he likes to rub that in my face whenever he can, it's very odd to have a son who is so much taller than you are, it's even odder to have to shop in the men's department for your 14 y/o son, very odd indeed. He may tower over me and it's obvious he's going to get much taller if his feet are anything to go by, size 11  people, but he's my gentle giant. He's so 'nice' I can't think of a better adjective to describe him and I think that's his best quality. I don't know how many times I've had friends tell me that they saw Ben at the mall with his friends and how he spoke to them, not embarrassed to be seen talking to his Mom's friends but will go out of his way to talk to them and not walk in the opposite direction, he's nice to little kids, he's kind to his younger sister (most times)  and her friends, he'll talk to them, play with them, he's nice to his teachers both past and present, PTA meetings last twice as long if I take him with me because we have to walk around and say hello to every teacher he's had in the past and every time they'll tell me the same thing, he's so nice, he's also funny and brings humor into the classroom, yes there have been times that he was the class clown and needed to be reprimanded, even received a detention one time, but for the most part he's nice, funny and smart. Smart, oh boy is he ever and he takes his schooling seriously, a far cry from his oldest sister, he's in all AP classes and next year as he starts High School he'll be taking Honors classes, his favorite subject without a doubt is Latin, where he gets his love of foreign language and ability to pick it up so quickly I have no clue, perhaps his Grandfather who can speak fluent Spanish as well as English. We'll be going places and he'll see a word in Latin on something and have to take a picture, even if it's on the T-Shirt that his drum teacher is wearing, he gets extra credit for things like that, and extra credit rocks, right ?  Talking of his drum teacher, yes he plays the drums, he loves to play the drums and some days it drives this Momma crazy and I have to send him out to the garage to practice.

He's already getting his ducks in a row to play in the symphonic marching band in High School, it's not going to be an easy task, there's an audition process and only the best get in, so he's putting in extra practice, going to all the band camps and introduction sessions offered and asking his private drum tutor to help him go over things, I'm keeping everything crossed that he makes it. Will you send some prayers his way that he gets in, it would mean so much to him ? Auditions are June 2nd and he's pumped.
Ben is not a Momma's boy but he tells me he loves me every time he leaves the house to go somewhere and he's not ashamed to say it in front of his friends, he tells his sisters, Dad, nephew and soon to be brother-in-law the same thing, family is really important to him even though he's 14.
He's polite to everyone even strangers, last weekend we were out shopping, I walked into a store in front of him, I turned around to say something and he wasn't there, he was stood at the door keeping it open for some women who were on their way in, that made my heart swell so much I thought it would burst out of my chest, yes my son with the skater hair cut and clothes knows how to be polite.
When you ask him what he wants to do when he graduates college he'll tell you several things, "I want to go in the army and fight for my country, then I want to come out and teach history to elementary kids" Or he'll tell you he wants to work in law enforcement "To get the crap off the streets."
Don't get me wrong he's not perfect far from it, just this past Saturday he got grounded and had all privileges taken away for a week for mouthing off to his dad about doing yard work, he hates to do yard work unless it's sitting on the tractor mowing the lawn, but Saturday was pick up sticks and nothing will get his ire up more than having to pick up sticks, there was yelling, screaming, 2 y/o temper tantrums, door slamming the whole 9 yards. It was embarrassing (neighbors were out working in their yards) it was frustrating and infuriating that such a huge fuss was being made over something so innocuous, but that's life right ? Nothings ever perfect, not even a 14 y/o hormonally charged boy no matter how proud he makes his family.