Today is Kabir’s 13th birthday. He believes it to be an important milestone as now he starts his tryst with teenage years. I’m more concerned than ever because already for 2 years he’s been exerting his right to keep long hair, walk with a swagger, speak with a heavier voice and more. All that tells me that parenting him over the teenage years is going to get more engaging than ever!
In the last couple of years, Kabir has made us greeting cards with simple drawings but with special, topical poems. I plan to type them up one of these days so I don’t lose any of them… Meanwhile, here is a quick attempt by Kishore at presenting one of our typical scenarios poetically and a customised virtual cake from me in celebration of this important day.
Kabir a young lad of thirteen
Wanted all day to watch a screen
The TV, the PS, the gameboy to fill his head
Till Mom’n Dad said, now off you go to bed
But he stayed back and made a scene
Enjoy your 13th Birthday, Dearest Kabir, and have a super year ahead…love, Mamma & Papa
Jyoti's Musings 
See, he’s making a poet out of his Papa!!!
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Looks like his father’s lineage inspires him to dabble with poetry in the first place. I gave 10 min to Kishore to come up with a limerick while I was typing up my post and he obliged instantly!
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well many congratulations on entering the next phase of parenting. i experienced this little earlier than you did, and let me tell you days are tough ahead……
both my sons (15 & 13 ) drive me crazy but then when i remember, what i did to my folks…….life looks easy.
once again please accept my heartiest congratulations on Kabir entering the next phase of his life…..
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Narinder…thanks for this feedback. I remember troubling my parents too so know that there’s trouble in store for me. Can only pray that it’s not too taxing, and the kid and I turn out to be good friends eventually. More experienced souls tell me that 16th is that cut off time when the friendship starts! You’d be able to verify that soon enough 🙂
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Mmmm! I sure remember my son’s 13th birthday. Oh yes! That was the ‘quiet’ (relatively speaking) period before the onset of heavy metal at age 15. L-o-u-d grunge that seems to be 99% feedback — like a sitar (the instrument not the player) on acid! I now realize what I used to put my parents through (the wheel comes full circle?) but hey it’s a sort of background beat that I have (eventually) gotten used to. It’s when its dead quiet that I get worried.
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Kabir is also showing a distinct preference for a certain kind of music — and that part makes us happy as interest in music can have a buoyant effect on one’s life. The fact that it was earlier focussed on Rap and its awful lyrics used to bother me but the current favourites like Linkin Park and Greenday are quite listenable even by us — not everything he listens is pleasant though… I realise that I must prepare myself for noisier 4 years 🙂 And, yes I agree that much of my own irksome teenage ways could come back through Kabir.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
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