Mark:
The last couple of weekends felt like a picture of how family life can hold very different emotions back-to-back.
The weekend before last, we celebrated Eden’s birthday. She was surrounded by friends, the energy was full, there was laughter, good food, and all the things that make a birthday feel like an occasion.
Then this past weekend was supposed to be Xen’s turn.
The plan was bowling, his two best friends, and a sleepover, and the kind of night you imagine a sixteen-year-old looking forward to.
As parents, you picture those moments landing a certain way because you want your kids to feel celebrated in the ways that matter to them.
And sometimes life takes a different shape than expected.
Renee:
This one hurt my heart…
Because after one weekend that felt full and easy, this one became much quieter than planned when the friends who were supposed to come did not show up.
As a mom, those moments are hard because you immediately feel what your child is feeling, even when they are trying not to sit in it too much.
You want people to follow through, you want things to unfold the way they hoped, you want to protect them from that sting, even when you know you cannot.
So, instead of bowling and a full house, Xen ended up playing ping-pong with me.
We have this tiny little table meant for two people, nothing like the big standard one his uncle has at his house, but somehow that made it feel even more fitting for the moment.
And we had such a good time.
We were laughing, playing, talking, having that easy back-and-forth that happens when there is nowhere else to be and nothing forcing the moment.
What could have felt heavy and sad somehow softened.
While part of me was still aware of what had not happened, another part of me could see what was happening right in front of me: connection, conversation, and a version of the day neither of us had planned but still ended up enjoying.
That was when he said, “Mom, I am living the dream.”
And I remember thinking how much I loved that perspective, because he knew exactly what had disappointed him, but he also knew enough to recognize what was still good.
Mark:
That is what stood out to me, too.
There was disappointment there, of course.
At sixteen, those things matter.
But there was also a perspective beyond his years.
Not pretending it did not matter.
Not denying the letdown.
Just refusing to let one disappointing piece define the whole day.
That is a lesson most adults are still learning, including me.
Renee:
I think that is why it hit me so deeply.
Because as parents, it hurts to watch your child hurt, even in small ways.
But there was also this silver lining right in front of me, seeing who he is becoming.
Someone who can acknowledge disappointment and still recognize what is good.
Someone who can say, in the middle of an imperfect birthday weekend, that he is still living the dream.
And maybe he is.
Soon, he and I are heading to Ohio for a Kid Cudi concert, and we are making a full experience out of it.
It became part of his birthday gift this year, especially because Eden had a bigger sweet sixteen celebration, and Xen really only asked for one simple thing: a bowling night and sleepover with friends.
As a mom, I have always tried to be mindful of keeping things fair, even when what each child wants looks completely different.
Not equal in appearance, necessarily, but thoughtful in a way that honors who they are.
That matters to me because every child feels celebrated differently.
And that is part of why the weekend carried more emotion than it might have suggested on the surface.
But maybe that is also why the Ohio trip feels special.
It is not just about the concert. It is about creating time together, making memories around something he genuinely loves, and turning it into an experience that feels like his.
I started looking up things to do with a sixteen-year-old boy and quickly realized there is actually no shortage of things we can enjoy together… good food, cool places, music, wandering, discovering things together, and the kind of memories that are not forced but simply happen because you make space for them.
There is something really sweet about this season of parenting.
Teenagers are building their own world, their own interests, and their own independence, but there are still these windows where connection happens in beautiful ways when you lean in. It already feels like one of those experiences we will both remember, and I will share a follow-up after it happens.
Mark:
Sometimes life gives you the version you expected.
Sometimes it gives you ping pong in the middle of disappointment.
And surprisingly, sometimes that becomes the part you remember most.
Mark and Renee:
Maybe living the dream is not perfect plans, perfect attendance, or everything unfolding exactly as imagined.
Maybe sometimes it is recognizing that even when something does not go the way you hoped, there is still something good right in front of you…
A conversation, a game of ping pong, a son who can still smile and say he is living the dream, and really, business is not that different.
Things do not always go the way you planned. People do not always show up. Moments do not always land the way you hoped they would.
But that does not mean it is not working.
Sometimes the dream is still there… it just looks a little different than you expected.
And that feels worth paying attention to.
Very enlightening and thoughtful