1.  Glassy gifts: Just had my birthday and my friends funded my latest glass purchase: a new bead press and some frit.  How cool is that?

2.  Late bloomer? This b-day was special for some reason – i actually felt it, when usually birthdays pass just like any other day despite the celebrations.  must be the beginning of a new stage in my life.  and that’s pretty cool.

3.  I love handmade stuff:  for my b-day the Teenager made me a beautiful new digital wallpaper image for my desktop in all my fave colours (hot orange, bright pink and deep purple).  It was created in  Photoshop and took him “foreverrrrrrrr” – something to do with blending custom brushes, colours, fonts, vectors, fractals, blah, blah, blah… etc., etc.  whatever.  it’s installed both at home and at work, and looks way cool.  i love it.  especially since it comes from my kid who thinks everything should be black, white, gray or navy blue.

4.  Essence of adolescence:  On the bus ride home a couple days ago, this kid sat down in front of me done up from head to toe in what i can only assume was his definition of the latest in 13yr old, bad-ass, hip-hop cool: poofy down bomber, angled baseball cap, artfully dishevelled ‘fro, oversized layered Ts, huge jeans strategically belted mid-buttcheek with the crotch dangling somewhere at the knee and large name brand sneakers.  overall colour combo? black, dark green and white.  yo.  tiiiiiiight.

He kept shifting in his seat and adjusting the various garments using his reflection in the facing window seemingly to determine just the right degree of anti-establishment slouch.  It was all i could do to keep a straight face through these antics.  cuz you know six months ago, his mom was probably still laying out his clothes for him but now?  baby, he’s in junior high.  ccccoooool.

5.  Cool mom?  The Teenager attended his first real grownup (i.e. no gaming, pizza, sleepover or parental involvement) party last weekend.  and yes, with my permission.  He calmly asked.  then waited for me to finish hyperventilating about sending my baby off to some booze and drug filled hellhole, in some stranger’s house, with a bunch of older friends i hadn’t met, and did he really know who these people were and trust them to not be crazy? and, and… well uhhh, you get the picture.  He was fine, got home within curfew limits, admitted to everyone drinking except him (yay!) and had one word about the experience: “AWESOME”.

I’ve had a few people mention that this act officially makes me a “cool” mom.  I disagree.  i was simply being practical: First, I trust him – he’s mature, smart and responsible.  Second, at his age, i (technically) wasn’t permitted to go to these types of parties but my friends and i still attended many under the guise of the now infamous, intricately planned, arranged and parental approved “sleepover”.