My Sweet Owen,
Your 12th year marked a big step forward in your independence. You found friends close enough to hang out with on your own—no parent coordination required. Jackson remained your best friend, but being in different classes gave you space to connect with Dallas and Mateo as well. You’ve always had a strong sense of self, and when faced with a tough choice—like the time you were pressured to bike to Target against our rules—you made the right call and came to us right away. That honesty and self-trust are qualities we deeply value.
You leaned into historical fiction this year, and Number the Stars made a lasting impression. It’s been amazing to watch you grow as a reader and thinker.
Spring lacrosse reignited your love for the sport, and your brief fling with the canoe and kayak racing team faded almost as quickly as it began. Fifth grade had some real highlights—Camp Seymour and Dancing Classrooms among them. Your moves were pretty epic. By June, though, you were wholeheartedly ready to leave elementary school behind.
You also experienced your first real crush this year—on a sweet girl named Ivy. You thoughtfully bought her a necklace at Great Wolf Lodge and put together a “Boo Basket” to officially ask her to be your girlfriend in October.
I was excited to have all three kids at the same school this year, but It ended up being kind of tough for you. As you're moving into adolescence, you’re craving space from your siblings—which is difficult when you’re all on the same schedule. Starting middle school didn’t faze you. You brought your confidence with you, and it’s served you well. Mrs. Johnson—who you adored as a student teacher in fourth grade—now teaches at Harbor Ridge, and having her for two classes helped smooth the transition.
6th grade has brought some new shifts: you started wearing jeans (after years of unwavering loyalty to sweats) and began exploring your sense of style, messy hair and tall white socks, for example. It’s one of those subtle but unmistakable signs that you're growing up.
You joined the cross country team with a few friends in the fall and loved it. You placed well, and I’m hopeful that endurance will carry over into future sports. After practice, you and your crew liked to walk to Finholm’s for candy and ice cream—such a sweet slice of preteen life.
One day, you asked if I talk about you with Nana and Auntie Rach. That moment gave me pause—it was a powerful reminder that you're becoming more aware of your own story, and that you deserve privacy and respect as you grow.
One ongoing challenge this year has been figuring out how to manage money. I want you to have some freedom to spend when you’re with friends—since McDonald’s and Starbucks are now social hubs—but I also want to teach you the value of earning and responsibility. My first idea was to give you $40 a month, no strings attached. But when you weren’t following through with basic respect at home—like leaving food wrappers and clothes everywhere—I pulled back. Then I tried tying allowance to chores, but that didn’t quite work either. We’ve settled on a new system: your baseline responsibilities are just part of being in our family. If you want to earn extra money, it has to come from bigger tasks—like vacuuming the car or helping with yard work. You haven’t really taken to that yet, which means you're usually low on cash. I'm hopeful you'll find your rhythm with it in time.
For your birthday party, you invited eight friends to an escape room, and it was a total blast. The car ride over was unexpectedly hilarious—five preteen boys belting out songs in an impromptu singing contest to see who had the best voice.
Your actual birthday fell on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which meant no school—a huge win in your book! Since we planned to spend Thanksgiving at the Cove, you insisted on doing your family celebration at home the Wednesday before we left. We kept all the traditions you love: decorating the house, breakfast on the “you’re special” plate, and opening gifts first thing in the morning.
We gifted you an iPhone, and you were absolutely thrilled—and slightly shocked that your wish had actually come true. I worried that celebrating on an “off day” might make your real birthday feel flat, especially after last year’s disappointment, but it didn’t. You decided you wanted to go Black Friday shopping at 5 a.m. for your birthday, and you asked the right person—Auntie Kari came through, and we were all at Walmart right when it opened. You were riding high on officially joining the phone club and had a fantastic time hanging out with your cousins.
I’m so proud of who you are becoming. You’re thoughtful, confident, and brimming with potential. The coming year will bring new challenges and opportunities, and I know you’ll rise to meet them. Keep being true to yourself, Owen. Embrace what lies ahead, and don’t ever forget—you are deeply loved, and we’re always here to love and support you.
xoxo,
Your Loving Mama
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