Tanner Owen

Tanner Owen is our middle boy. He likes this position in our family. He can either be a big boy or a little boy. His words, not mine. But it melts my heart everytime I hear him say that. It kind of sums up where he is right now in his precious life. He is part big boy. He turned 12 on Wednesday. 12. Tween. He is finishing up his elementary school "career" and will be heading to middle school come fall. Actually come June 9Th when he starts Summer School. Not for enrichment but for him to become comfortable in a new school environment that includes lockers and changing classes. This middle boy does not do change well and after reassuring him that "no we do not hate him" and "no he is not being punished" that it is actually for his good. Mine, too. If I were to send my precious middle son to middle school without the summer school program to get acquainted with his new surroundings both he and I would be a total mess that first day of school. So, its set Summer School, June 9Th. For 3 weeks. He'll be okay.

But he is also a little boy who still plays with his buddy and baby brother, Tucker. They pretend, explore, and ride their scooters like champs. They also share a room. He is a protector of his two younger siblings but can also be found playing laser tag with Tuck or babies with Tatumn. He is tender-hearted and sweet. Naive and witty. Stubborn but loving.

We call him "O" most of the time. Because we have a lot of T names going on and in a moment of frustration or caffeine fog I have been known to go through every T name known to man and still not call them by the right one. So "O" fits. O has also morphed into "owie" or like Tatumn used to call him "ophie". That one made me laugh.

On his mid-term this past week his teacher wrote this.
"Tanner you are having a hard time following the elementary school rules, I think you are ready for middle school rules."

Huh?

I asked her what exactly that meant because I have read it from many angles to try and make sense of it. I thought that surely that was a good thing, right? But not following rules, especially at recess, is a problem. Only because their rules are pretty strict. Don't kick the ball too high, don't run too fast, don't yell too loud. I am serious. Tanner has gotten in trouble for all of those things.

And because I am going to walk in victory today, I will not go into a past confrontation with a certain recess teacher last year. I won't. Not today. I am claiming Victory over that one. Partly because I came out victorious....there I go. Victory. Walk in it.

His precious teacher, who loves Jesus, assured me that the "baby" rules at elementary school are too confining for him and that the freedom he will gain in middle school will be good for him. Shew! That one made me sweat.

Our baseball games have all been rained out because of the tornadoes that hit our neck of the woods Thursday night. We are fine, although it hit close. God truly had his hand over our neighborhood. Thank you Jesus. So, we are celebrating with our families and best friends tonight with an Ice Cream Buffet! It is always a great time!

My aunt sent Tanner a birthday card (that she hand-made! She rocks!) and this is what it said inside,
"Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet. There is always one determined to lean in an opposite direction from the way the arrangers desires."

That made me laugh out loud. My little (Not so much anymore) Tanner is that one flower leaning in an opposite direction. He just goes to the beat of his own drummer. If I wanted him to wear khakis to school he would rather wear jeans. (many struggles with this one!) If I told him it was going to rain today, he would say that he saw a ray of sunshine peaking out of the clouds. If I was fixing chicken for dinner, he would rather have hamburgers. If we were going to order pizza, he would have his heart set on Chinese. If we were going to go swimming, he would prefer to go hunting in the woods. Tomato, TomAto. You get it? It is not a bad thing, really.

Although it is a challenge to parent him without loosing my mind and my temper. I am reminded that God's word says to train a child in the way he should go and when he is older he will not depart from it. I am constantly reminded to follow this truth; especially with this middle son. I would break his spirit if I tried to make him something he was not. And not because I always do it perfectly, there have been many tears and lots of frustrations to get to this point. But as I have yielded to God's authority and believed His promise, I trust that my tween boy is in good...God's hands.