Month: September 2005

As a toddler, Max earned the nickname Barnacle Boy. I called him that because he was literally attached to me nearly every waking moment. As an infant, I wore him in a sling as I went about my daily routine. When he began walking at 9 months, he’d follow me through the house so closely that when I stopped moving, he’d run into the backs of my legs and fall over from the impact. If we watched a movie together, he was in my lap. We shared a family bed, too, so when I rolled over in the night, Max was right there, snuggled against me. It is not an exaggeration to say I was never without that boy. Tomorrow, Max turns 13. That’s a milestone birthday, more for a boy, I think, than for a girl (for girls, it’s the Sweet Sixteen). No longer a child, but not yet a man, 13-year-old males are in an amazing stage of life....