On the brink of manhood

As I arrived at OR Tambo airport on Thursday evening, a young man was hanging over the edge of the walkway. He waved, and I realised it was Kev. I hardly recognised him. Granted, I was still feeling terrible after a flight that left me feeling nauseous and disorientated (don't know why because it was a fairly stable flight in the bigger of the toy planes from Oribi airport.) Granted, Kev's face is still quite swollen from a whack in the mouth with a hockey stick last Saturday which left him with broken teeth and lots of stitches. Granted, I wasn't really expecting him to be there - I thought he would be over at the Arrivals door. But the fact remains that I hardly recognised my grandson - the baby I watched being born, that I cuddled in my bed at night, that I took to school, and sobbed along with when he had to go home after a weekend with us.

He's 131/2 and he's growing up. Every now and then, his voice breaks into a lower register, and most of the time, it is gruffer - as though he has a bit of a cold. He is taller and chunkier - after growing out of the baby shape with the fat little tummy, he became like a string bean, but now he is filling out. He eats like a horse - we can't keep up with the volume of milk he drinks, especially as we hardly have any. He knows all the "apps" on the iPhone his dad passed on to him, and is an expert on computer games. He is totally adolescent in some ways - "I'll do it just now..." means "never"; homework is something you need to find creative excuses not to do; you are "cool" when you are with your friends. He speaks a language I often don't understand. He has learnt that being charming is a wonderful manipulation tool, and he uses it to his advantage.

He's on the cusp of growing up - being at High School makes me conscious that soon he will be a man.

But there is still a little boy inside. A little boy who had a "tummy ache" today because he wanted to stay at home with us. A little boy who still watches cartoon network and the Disney channel more than anything else. A little boy who still calls us Granny and Grampa when there is no-one else to hear. A little boy who still will snuggle into our bed when he's cold, and will let me cuddle him when he's sad. A little boy who runs round the garden with the dog as though they are both puppies, wrestling and playing.

I miss the little boy who has been the light of my life for the last 13 years. The little boy to whom I have been his beloved granny. I miss the little fellow with the chubby hands who was always busy making something. I miss the dimples on knees and wrists, the fat little cheeks, the little voice on the phone that would say "playing" when we asked him what he had been doing. (Now he says "nothing!")

But I look forward to the man who will emerge. Good looking (well,he is the image of his Mum in a masculine way and my kids are the best looking in the world), bright (even though his school reports don't show it); caring and sensitive; friendly and outgoing. He's a survivor, and I pray for protection during these years as he emerges from childhood into adulthood.

Lord, please keep my Kev safe from influences that he can't resist, from disappointments that sour his nature; from sadnesses that make him bitter. Keep his path straight and protect him so he may grow up to be the man you want him to be. Amen