James at Eleven

Sometimes he seems so grown-up...

But I am glad he is still a kid, too!

James turned 11 last month. It is still hard for me to believe, sometimes. I was looking back over my blog and realizing that I mostly post about the youngest kids. After all, they are changing so quickly. Also, young kids tend to do the most surprising things, that seem notable or cute for posterity.  But I recognize that the older kids are pretty amazing, too. Just because the changes come more slowly doesn't mean that I shouldn't take note, now and then.

Grown-up enough to light his own candles

It is really nice having an 11-year-old in the family. James can get himself to and from swim practice on his bike. He can also pick up and bring John home from swimming, when necessary. He can take Helen for a walk around the block in the stroller. He is interested in cooking and inventing his own recipes based on things we have cooked as a family. He likes to run errands that give him some independence, like biking up to the grocery store for an item or two for dinner. He is usually generous with his siblings and likes to do nice things for them, like when he asked to bike them up to the grocery store with him so that he could buy them each a doughnut. (If you are reading the blog regularly, you might start to notice that despite all my intentions of keeping the family eating healthy foods, we are all beholden to doughnuts.) He also is reasonably willing to entertain John. James prefers to do this with a computer game, but he can be swayed. I asked him today to kick a soccer ball with John and he hopped right up to do it - even helped John find his shoes.

John and James on the computer together

James is poised, sometimes precariously, between childhood and youth, it seems. In a very grown-up moment, he asked me if he could learn algebra this summer. (This seemed to be prompted by his taking the ACT and discovering it was full of math that he hadn't learned yet - he also has a bit of a competitive edge, though he tries to keep it hidden.) Of course, he is still a kid, too. He hasn't actually opened the algebra book that I borrowed for him from the library - the call of the computer games is too loud. His TV viewing shows a similar contrast. (Our only TV content is what is available via live streaming over the Wii right now, which does create for an odd selection, I suppose.) One moment he is watching cartoons with John; the next he is arguing with the other kids because he wants to watch another NOVA episode. ("Mom, I was right in the middle of How to Make Stuff Stronger and John keeps switching the show.")

One sure sign James is growing up...he got books and bike gear instead of legos for his birthday.

But, James still knows the value of a new squirt gun.