where wildly different is perfectly normal
And when you least expect it, an unlikely hero
And when you least expect it, an unlikely hero

And when you least expect it, an unlikely hero

Amidst the hubbub and generalized chaos of the last week, I celebrated a dozen years of wondering why I thought I’d be a great parent A turned 12. He is a full-on tween and cannot wait for the official teen years so he can hop onto social media. God help me. I’m starting to see just the very beginnings of teenager attitude and angst…or it’s just the continuing attitude and angst he’s displayed since he was two. I think we win here for the longest case of the Terrible Twos; a decade has to be some kind of record. Asynchrony really does a number on a person, and dear God what will puberty on top of that be like? I think I need a panic room.

And then, just when I’m positive I’m going to sell my child to the next idiot who ignores my clever NO Solicitors sign and rings the bell anyway, he does something so mature, so jaw-droppingly awesome that I just stood and gaped at him. The sun burst through the storm clouds and shone upon the future and it was good.

Chicago is a little moist today. We’ve had a lot of rain in recent weeks, and yesterday it got worse. It poured yesterday. Non-stop buckets of rain. I’d feel worse for my poor dog, if she hadn’t made the house smell like wet pooch. And then it poured overnight. I have a newfound appreciation of our sump pump; it kicked on roughly every ninety seconds last night. I’d love it even more if it didn’t live directly below my bedroom and sound like a earth-mover in need of a tune-up. I had a less-than-pleasant night of slumber, but my basement is dry so no complaining here. However, between the Wrath Of God rain and the heroics of the sump pump, Lake Chaos was born:

Lake Chaos And you can’t even see how far to the right it extends, courtesy of our large MaplElm tree (it’s a maple tree, growing an elm sapling in a crook way up high). An hour after I took this it was Lake Chaos extended its banks even further and I began to price out wood for the ark A and I will build as a homeschool project. Hands on learning FTW!

A finally hauled himself out of bed and earned his keep for the day…nay…week. My out of the box thinker with a sharp wit and even sharper eyes noted that the sump pump hose (yes, that gawdawful black hose in the middle of the yard) was under water. And if it was under water, it was probably working twice as hard, as it was pumping out the hose as well as the water around the foundation. <insert stunned face here, as well as a solid ::facepalm::>

I was about to go out in the torrential downpour (I really can’t stress enough just how much it has rained), when he piped up.

“Mom, I’ll put on my boots and go out and move it.”

I have a new hero today.

hose mover

Those were indeed angels you heard singing this morning.

7 Comments

  1. Care M

    Congratulations A! Well thought out – and even better, nicely done, saving mom the epic trip into the nastiness!

    My mom is in Darien/Downers Grove. I’m hoping to hear from her soon. We had Lake Wilson at the back of the house every spring, and I kind of fear what all the downpour has brought them. o.o;

    (Also, perpetual Terrible Twos sounds like my house as well… though Monkey is only 4 thus far)

  2. JenC

    GO A!!! (And I finally cured the solicitor problem here by putting a sign out the says “Ring bell to begin watergun fight). Turns out that makes hosing them with a SuperSoaker totally legal :)They don’t seem interested in ringing the bell anymore.)

  3. I was in disbelief when I read this: I’m starting to see just the very beginnings of teenager attitude and angst…

    And then I got to the end of the sentence and the world made sense again. Being a few years ahead of you, I’d say the teen years are more of what you describe–frustration, anger, more frustration and then every now and then a glimpse of the absolutely fabulous and wonderful man your son might just become. Savor those glimmers!

Whaddya think?

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