The Synergistic Pen

If you are a secret follower of this blog, you know I have two children.  I've written upon occasion about my daughter, who is now a junior in college (in case you care).  I've never really said much about my son however.  Lots of reasons:  I keep forgetting he's in the house, he isn't as high maintenance as his sister was in high school, I really haven't had much to say about him, until today.

He's going to Japan in about 35 days.  We're all very excited about this. 

Just a little background info.  My second born child is 18, male, and a senior in high school.  He has been accepted to a local art school where he'll be studying animation.  He wants to work for Pixar... or put them out of business (that's a quote).  For the past 6 years, he's been studying all things Japanese: the language, the customs, the culture, the people, the politics.  He's just might apply for citizenship if we don't be careful.  Well, the one thing he's always wanted to do was visit the country.  He's finally getting his chance.

It only cost me a hell of a lot of money and a great googob of energy, but, he's going, along with his Japanese teacher (whose apparently his second mother) and 5 other students from his school. The reality of this trip hit me a couple of days ago when the passport finally arrived.

Ma, my passport is here. Look.

I look (I know what a passport is, but part of being a mother is pretending to be dumber than a bag of rocks on cue)

Nice, put it with your other papers.

I watch him as he grins and shows the picture to the half dozing cat purring fitfully under my arm and he leaves the room.  My baby is all grown up and going to Japan.  Hope he comes back.  Hope he brings me something better than a damned tee shirt.

As with our daughter, we worked hard to guide and support the dreams of "the boy".  Again, he has been a joy to raise: low maintenance, few behavioral issues, generally easy to deal with on the social level.  Hell, he might even graduate with his class (ha, he better)

He's chosen compatible friends, stayed away from the temptations of the hood, including drugs, gangs and as he puts it, smelly skanks.  He will be a talented artist and animator one day.  He loves his mother, respects his father and shows just the right amount of tolerance for his big sister.

So, as the day of emancipation draws need, you'll hear more about the phantom son of mine...I'm sure his sister will let him know I wrote this, and he'll comment on the invasion of his privacy and all that crap.  Oh well, I'm still the mama, deal with it son.

muah.