Dear Eli,
You are 14 years old! You're such an awesome guy. You're a super chill kid and don't get stressed out about much. When I took you to the pediatrician for his 14 year well check, you had to fill out a questionnaire about depression and anxiety. You answered all the questions and when you were done, I glanced over and saw that you had circled 0's on the entire form, meaning you have no anxiety at all. Lol. I'm sure that will change as you get older and life gets more stressful but I'm happy that you're so content right now!You went out of your comfort zone and joined the track team at school this past spring. You tried lots of ball sports when you were younger (basketball, soccer, baseball, etc), but none of them really clicked. You've loved skiing and are good at it, but we wanted you to try something else physical. Track was the first time you'd ever really had to push yourself physically and it was so good for you to feel the pain of doing hard things that you never thought possible. I'd pick you up from practice and you'd tell me that it was so hard, you'd wanted to throw up, but you pushed through it. I was so proud of you! Your events were hurdles and discus.
This summer, you've also been on the mountain biking team. Dad signed up to be one of the coaches, which has actually turned out to be a way bigger time commitment and more expensive than we thought. He's had to attend lots of meetings and classes, log his hours riding, and even attend a 4 hour CPR/first aid seminar. You and dad are both really enjoying it though and wake up at 5:30 am for practice rides. You like to get them out of the way in the morning before it gets too hot.
One nice thing about you is that you've gotten more helpful around the house. When I ask you to do chores, you typically do them without too much complaint and I rarely have to ask you more than once or twice to get started. Let me tell you though, you are slower than molasses! Everything you do is done at a snail's pace. I can get done triple what you do in the same amount of time. You've always been like this and probably always will be, but that's okay because it's just who you are!
You have a good group of friends which I'm so grateful for. You hang out with them almost daily and even when you don't get together in person, you play computer games with each other. Like every other teenage boy, you love playing video games and playing Gorilla Tag on your Oculus. That's all you and your friends want to do! I try to be fair and give you plenty of time, but I try to encourage you to do other things together too!
You're dependable, mature, and responsible. You always gets out the door on time, you do well in school, and are always kind to people.
It's crazy to me how you've gone from looking like a little boy to an older teenager this year! You're starting to look like a man! You finally admitted to me a few months ago who you have a crush on, and I have to say, you have great taste! Ha ha.
You've been on Accutane for 9 months now and it's really helping your skin. You probably need another 3-4 months on it before you're totally clear. You've had super dry lips and skin, some bloody noses, and worsening vision, but you haven't seemed to mind any of the side effects too much. I'm grateful that you'll spend the majority of your teenage years without having to worry about acne.
You've had braces for about 4 months now and are doing well with wearing your rubber bands and brushing really well around them.
I couldn't be prouder of my first-born son and can't wait to watch you learn and grow even more.
I feel panicky about the fact that we only have 4 more years with you before you leave for a mission or college, and I'm going to miss you so much! Hopefully I'm teaching you enough for you to go out in the world and be a good human!
I love you so much, Eli. Thanks for being so awesome!
Love,
Mom
14 Year Stats
Weight: 123 lbs (70th percentile)
Height: 67 in (75th percentile)
