Growing Pains

Seth is 9 (10 in January).

Rob just turned 13.

They have always been the best of friends, meaning they have played and fought with equal energy their whole lives.

We are at the end of a vacation that involved lots of cousin time.  Some of these cousins are older than Rob.   The trip was a rite of passage of sorts for Rob, who became a full-fledged teenager almost overnight.

This was not lost on Seth.  Last night, he said to me, "Rob is a teenager now.  He dresses like a teenager, he hangs around with the teenagers, he talks like a teenager.  He's not going to play with me anymore."

I assured him that this was absolutely not true.   But I know deep down that there is absolutely some truth to his observation, which is why I had a hard time keeping my composure during our conversation.  I waited until later to cry.

Growing pains.  Whoever coined that term was right on the money.

They can really hurt.