Twelve doesn’t seem too old. Until your number three child, the one you vividly remember as a baby, turns twelve. The oldest of the babies. The beginning of our new family.

Enough of the platitudes!

How about your wonderful, unique self? How about your endless patience for 4 year old little sisters–not that you would know anything about that.

It takes even more patience for 17 year old brothers sometimes, and you have that too.

You strike a unique balance between shyness and sociability. One blush away from teen age, you already display certain self-conscious teen traits. But that could also be personality related.

Your wit and creativity are valuable. May you develop all your gifts and talents to their full potential. Does an ‘s’ belong at the end of that sentence? That’s the kind of thing you would know.

And go forth and learn more, grow more, do more,
now that you’re officially almost a teenager.