We celebrated a big birthday at our house recently. My son turned 13. He’s had good fun the last year, reminding me he’s almost a teen and in that time, I’ve noticed some changes. Moody afternoons that erupt like a sudden storm, more time spent behind closed doors, growing concern for the way he’s dressed. He even bought his first cologne.

Such passages are a reminder that the sweet child I once rocked to sleep is slowly beginning to fade from view. On the other hand, my now teenage son shows surprising signs of maturity, too. He’s made me proud by keeping up with his cell phone. He seldom goes over his minutes, even his text messaging is under control. No small feat for a tech-savvy kid.

But despite his swagger, I’ve learned that while he’s growing up, he still wants to be treated like a kid at times. His recent birthday is a good example.

Since it fell over spring break, we took an out-of-town trip to celebrate and didn’t return home until the evening of his birthday. As arranged, his father met us at the airport, and the three of us went to out for dinner as a capstone to our vacation/celebration.

After the meal, we arrived back home, where my son opened a raft of cards from family and friends. I’ll admit, it wasn’t terribly ceremonious. Since everyone knew we were going to be gone, it was his first birthday with no presents to open.

Now, I am a mother. You would think I would have headed this potential problem off at the pass, and wrapped up a few gifts for his special day. Instead, the busyness and to-do lists leading up to the trip consumed me. So my son went to bed crestfallen. It wasn’t as if he’d been forgotten. It was just that, well, the wonderful feeling that comes from anticipating what lies inside those dressy packages had clearly been missing. And my teen was suddenly 5 again, yearning for the birthdays of his youth.

So, what did I learn? That just because your kid acts like he’s big, there’s a part that still remains a child. I think we all want to feel special and loved and enjoy the promise a present holds. Even if it’s just a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

Speaking of birthdays...

Memphis Parent is now 18! Which means we’ve served a whole generation of children and parents in the Mid-South — pretty amazing. We thought this was a great time to freshen up our look, so we’ve made some changes in our design and layout. Read through this month’s issue and tell us what you think.