Today is my younger son's 13th birthday. In honor of that, I am doing what I did for my older son and sharing my top ten list from the speech I made at his Bar Mitzvah.
Given that we're still in a pandemic, it was an unconventional Bar Mitzvah, but it still worked because it was just right for him. He's more of an introvert and wouldn't have felt comfortable doing everything in front of tons of people at shul. So we have the pandemic to thank for this simpler version of a Bar Mitzvah that was still special to him, to us, and to our family and friends. We just had a small Zoom gathering on the Sunday of what would have been his Bar Mitzvah weekend anyway. We also had his favorite food items throughout the weekend.
Without any further ado...my top 10 list about my 13 year-old:
1. He is a very musical child, but in a different way than his brother. He can sit down at the piano and teach himself how to play complicated pieces that I couldn’t even do with actual lessons when I was his age. He loves to play piano and usually it’s classical or ragtime. However, he will “Rick roll” us sometimes. He also sings really well and was in honors chorus in fifth grade. He even composes music on his computer and it’s really impressive!
2. He is affectionate and loves giving hugs and kisses. Usually kids tend to avoid their parents at this age, but he still wants to cuddle with us.
3. He is a great sibling. Even though he’s in the middle, he finds ways to bond with both his older brother and younger sister. I still remember a time his brother was sad about something and all he had to say was one word to cheer him up. And even though he and his sister tend to fight a lot, I catch them laughing and playing together too. He is even teaching her some new piano skills.
4. He loves to read. I know I said this about his brother too, but it’s true. I love being able to find him books that he will enjoy, as he is a pickier reader than most.
5. He’s really funny. Even though he’s not into theater, he was participating in improv games with his siblings and nailing the humor each time. He also cracks me up in the Passover plays he puts on with his siblings. He loves telling jokes and coming up with puns too. We even have some of our own inside jokes.
6. He’s very smart and does well in school. He’s received star student awards and has consistently been getting As in his classes.
7. He loves animals. The happiest I’ve ever seen him is when he is playing with dogs or petting a cat.
8. He’s really good with technology. He also has a curious mind and likes seeing how things work. He has strong video editing skills and has put together some cool videos in the past.
9. He’s a great conversationalist. As I mentioned earlier, he always has so many questions and I enjoy hearing his thoughts about the way things are in the world.
10. He marches to the beat of his own drum. He’s an individual and doesn’t care what people think of him. He won’t bend to peer pressure either. I mean, he won’t even watch The Princess Bride when I’ve been inviting him to do so all the time. (Is he really my son?) And it’s ironic that his Hebrew birthday is right around Purim because he refuses to wear a costume. Thankfully, photoshop has come to the rescue for our family video this year.
When he was two years old, he would tell everyone “I’m not a baby, I’m a big boy.” His teacher at the time told me how someone said "baby," and he somehow tuned into that word and walked over to tell that person that he’s a big boy. He’s always asserted himself since then and found a way to stand out, even with being the middle child.
It’s nice to be this confident, even at his current age.
Happy 13th birthday to my sweet little boy!
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