Remember turning 16? Philip did on March 19, but we only had a small family party for him on that day. We celebrated last weekend; it's amazing how different he looks now than he did even last year.
No more little boy.
I remember people coming up to me around Christmas time (my bd is in February) and saying, "Amazing that you are going to be 16 on your next bd. It's unreal." I never got what was so special about turning 16 until I had my own kids. It really does seem like a transition. Plus, in NJ you can drive.
Anyway, here are some pictures from what we've been up to, beginning with a family basketball game:
and a quick bd moment with Philip:
I think I changed how I thought the year I turned 16 simply by virtue of telling people, "I'm 16." It sounded so much more official (I actually remember using that word when talking to my girlfriend back then) than 15. 15 just sounds so much younger. Or at least we thought it did.
Did you change when you were 16? What do you remember about it the most?
16 comments:
My what a handsome young man. He looks like you Mom!
What can I remember about being 16? It was the year before I turned 17 which is when a lot of stuff happened for me.
Wonderful pictures! It is amazing how our children grow into adults within the blink of an eye.
People do say Philip looks like me, but he's just a tad taller, Bish. Yeah, I remember 17 better, too. I think that's because you're still a sophomore at 16, and at least in NYC, you don't have a driver's license. Being a junior and having a license changes things.
I know, Glynis. His 15th bd pix he still looks like a kid. And he just trimmed his beard in these - he looked about 20 when his beard was fuller.
Your son is very handsome! You must be incredibly proud! I too have a 16-year-old, and it's a fun age.
At 16, for me, it was all about driving (in Ontario it's 16, as well). I can still remember how terrified I was at the driving test!
Happy Birthday Philip!
Don't you just love hugging those big, strapping sons? :)
When I was 11, my cousin was 15 and really bent out of shape about turning 16. That's when I learned it was a big deal. Besides driving (most places), I think 16 is considered "the line" between "adolescent teenybopper" and REAL teen, if that makes sense.
Great looking kid! 16 is fun - driving was the absolute highlight for me - loved it! :)
Great family photos!
What I remember most about turning 16 was reading Atlas Shrugged, then running away to New York City (I'm from Detroit) to meet the author.
Hi Cynthia, and thanks! Philip is a good kid, most of the time... It seems everyone could drive at 16 except us folks in NYC.
I do see that line, Marcia. I didn't then, when it happened to me, but I do now. There's this weird change...dare I say maturity? that comes over 16 year olds. They are just a little more responsible.
Driving again, Jemi - everyone everywhere at 16. There must be a line then because insurance agencies are good with stuff like that.
Hi and welcome, Rick. That's amazing - you actually did that? I used to run away to my girlfriend's house about half a mile away. That's a YA novel, that experience.
Happy birthday to Philip! 16 is a momentous birthday. I hope he had a good day.
My oldest nephew turns 13 this week, and I just can't wrap my head around that. I still think of him as a little kid, but he's getting so grown-up--taller, with complex pursuits (guitar, Tae Kwon Do) that mark him as having stepped over that invisible line that separates little-kid-ness from I'll-be-in-college-before-you-know-it. Scary how fast it happens.
Happy b-day, Philip!
I don't remember turning 16, so my guess is that I didn't care too much (I recall being filled with apathy and pessimism).
I know, K.C. - when older people said that to me growing up, "You're getting so grown up!" I used to (mentally) say, "Uh yeah, it sort of isn't something I have anything to do with." But you get it after you watch them grow up, and then you do the awful thing: you say it.
So many writers, and I mean YA writers, had teenage experiences with extra doses of pessimism and apathy, that I'm starting to think it's a requirement for the job, Medeia.
Happy Birthday to your son. I've got one who's almost 16 too, and it's sobering to me.
I didn't change until I hit 17. That was when I really underwent a metamorphosis. When I was 16, I was awfully disappointed that I still looked the same as I had at 14. At 17, I was utterly transformed and could hardly believe my eyes. (And I thanked God for it too.)
-This is Shannon from the Donne/doom letter- What I remember from last year is the sense of freedom. I could drive anywhere I wanted within a general time frame - once I turned seventeen, I could drive my friends, so all the better. Grocery hopping is still a big deal - especially since they have the new automated checkouts, and you can use Mom's card and slip in something extra, like gum. In CA, we have a curfew for sixteen year olds but once you're seventeen, there's no curfew. (I think). So then the later hours, plus the ability to get a job and make money.
17 seems to be the year -- kids do look so different at 17 than at 14, Mary. It's an amazing transformation. And lol - thank God for it; I know exactly what you mean.
I thought that was you, Shannon : )
So 17 again is the year of change. I'm starting to think 16 is special because it's the last year before you really have freedom.
16 was fairly normal chaos for me..at 17 a lot changed I became a mother..I raised 3 daughters and 1 son and the rule was..you must finish school, no drugs, no drinking, be respectful of elders and if you have a baby before you are 21 I will kill you..All 4 of my kids listened and adhered to these simple rules and all 4 of them became parents at 21...
Wow, Doreen, that's a novel! Amazing that all four became parents at the same (sort of assigned) age. And that's still young, by today's standards. But the odds...
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