June 25

Liam has been fifteen years old now for a little over a week.

All this boy wanted for his birthday was a Nin ten do Switch 2, which was due to be released just a few days before he turned fifteen. The tariff uncertainty definitely wobbled the long anticipated launch – they couldn’t really pre-sell it when they weren’t sure how to price it because they weren’t sure if it was going to have a 50% tax added. Although he, his father and I all tried (stalking retailers’ inventory pages, reddit threads, facebook groups, etc.), we couldn’t get it in time. I told him repeatedly that if he didn’t give us any other ideas, he was going to be SOL on his actual birthday, and he said he understood, thank you, but that is all he wants, it’s fine if he gets nothing else, no big deal, he’ll wait for the Switch if it’s all the same to us, thanks so much.

His birthday arrived (also Father’s Day this year), and we had nothing for him. His protestations are all well and good but I will not have a human living in my house who doesn’t get to open SOMETHING on his birthday. I snagged my 11 year old to go on the hunt with me, and we headed to Costco and Fleurty Girl to pick up a couple of treats (including the Stitch Squishimal pictured above, some pants, a case of root beer, a Lego Baby Yoda, some candy, a NOLA t-shirt, some socks that say “Buzz off, I’m reading”). I snagged the produce guy and asked him to write “Happy Birthday Liam” on a Costco cake, which he gamely agreed to do so long as I understood he was not the bakery guy and it would look bad. (“Sure thing! We ain’t fussy!”) Craig took the job of present-hunting seriously – he was an earnest and thoughtful helper, and I bought him an ice cream at the Costco snack bar as a thanks.

We wrapped up everything and set it out on the dining room table. And this adorable teen – this thoughtful, sweet hearted, patient and gentle boy – thanked us so sincerely for each thing. He gave enthusiastic hugs, said he genuinely understood about the Switch, thanked his brothers effusively. Gamely blew out the candles on his sloppily decorated (but delicious) Costco cake, read each birthday card aloud, posed for pictures, beaming the whole time. At the end of the night, he came over and wrapped his arms around my shoulders and said “this was such a special day – thank you so much!” I melted into that hug. He is such a joy. Such a clever, kind, gentle, funny, thoughtful guy, getting more mature and loving by the day.

A couple days ago, he came careening down the stairs toward me, shouting “Game Stop has 21 Switches! They open in an hour, let’s go!” Though I was in the middle of several calls, we headed over to Game Stop, me yakking on my HandsFree calls all the way, and I slapped down my credit card for NEARLY SEVEN HUNDRED AMERICAN DOLLARS THANK YOU TRUMP. My calls were done on the way home and this time he yakked at me, jabbering excitedly about everything under the sun as we headed home, and thanking me perhaps fifty times. Being a lawyer who works all the time is not the life I would have chosen for myself, but it allows me to occasionally treat my children like this, and for that I am grateful.

I was worried we wouldn’t see him for a month – that he’d be up in his room playing his new console – but the other night we had a family movie night. We put on Star Trek – the first JJ Abrams – and Jack and his girlfriend watched with us, and Craig – and Liam, sitting at the dining room table putting together his Baby Yoda Legos and laughing and gasping along with all of us, and it pleased me immensely to have him there, just breathing the same air as us.

I don’t know how I got so lucky, to have this middle son of mine, to have him in my life and my home for these few years we get him, before he launches. He was given to me and I was given to him, in the cosmic providential way of these things, and I think that matching of minds was just exactly right.