Whereby I learn that my oldest kid is incredibly squee-worthy.

For this post, I wanted to talk to my oldest kid, Finley. He is, as you may remember from this post, the one who popped out of my womb looking like a carbon copy of his father, my ex. This fact didn’t make me love him any less, in fact, I couldn’t get enough of his cute little self. We were neurotic first-time parents, so it’s a wonder that Finley is at all normal.

The questions…

What’s your name? 

Finley Thomas Meadows

How old are you? 

13 years old.

What grade are you in? 

7th. 

How is life in middle school? 

Finley: Pretty fun. You can do more stuff than in elementary school. There’s better food, and two full fields for sports, and I can do track and cross country, and there are a lot of clubs. I also take band, and I like it a lot. 

Why do you like band so much? 

Finley: The songs we’re playing right now are great, and it’s really fun to put it all together with other instruments. When we were virtual we just played with a recording, but now that we’re back in school it’s much better playing together.

Emily: Listening to you play percussion in your room when you’ve been at home with me (virtual school), has been a joy and a pleasure, haha. I always did orchestra and choir in school, and I ain’t gonna lie – I coveted a spot with the marching band. So I’m living vicariously through you. Do they even have marching bands here in the PNW? I have no clue.

Do you have any crushes? 

Finley: Kinda. Not really. There’s a girl I think is cute, but I haven’t ever talked to her. She turns on her camera for, like, all of her classes, so she must be social. And I’m in 3 classes with her – Band, Science, and Social Studies.

Emily: Um, did you notice how I made that question gender neutral? I want to keep emphasizing that you can like anyone of any gender. But you said “she” so that’s fine. I love that in this new world of hybrid learning, you can have a crush on someone, simply because they TURN ON THEIR WEBCAM AND YOU CAN SEE THEIR FACE EACH DAY. 

Finley: Haha, yeah.

Have you ever met her in person? 

Finley: Yes. But I don’t really get to talk to her ever. Her last name is REDACTED. 

Emily note: It rhymes with ‘brooks’ and starts with a C, and I’m having to really hold myself back from trying to dig for any more details including old yearbook photos. 

Have you been in breakout rooms/groups with her? 

Finley: Nope. 

She’s just cute? 

Finley: Yes.

Is this the same girl you liked in the 6th grade? 

Finley: No.

Emily note: Finley had a crush on a girl named Kaila for the entire school year but never spoke with her. In fact, he had her name wrong. Somehow at the end of the year he learned her true name, and he was all, “Ohhh, oops!” We all thought that was pretty funny.

When do you think you’ll have your first girlfriend? 

Finley: Maybe high school, but sometimes girlfriends come with drama. But you don’t know, I could find someone I enjoy being with. And then, sure. It depends on whether I meet that person. You can’t be too picky, but it’s okay to like certain things. 

Emily: Well, you have crushes for a reason. They are people you are attracted to. 

Finley: Yeah, I guess. She can be cute but if she has no personality, I wouldn’t like her. Personality matters. If she isn’t fun to be around or if she’s awkward, that would be hard. Like, trying to make conversation all the time. 

Getting deeper.

Do you believe in love? 

Finley: Yeah. 

Emily: Say more. 

Finley: <Laughing> What? You mean “yeah” wasn’t enough? Okay. Love makes life a lot different. You can get married, or you can just have fun with it, or you can have a boyfriend or girlfriend. It just makes life more special sometimes.

Emily: <SQUEEEE!> You’re right that love can make life more special sometimes, and that is the most wonderful thing ever. 

What are you scared of? 

Finley: I mean, like, I occasionally get scared of monsters that look humanoid, so they are creepy. There are other fears, like the fear of death. I am trying to accept it because everyone is going to die. You could go to sleep and just not wake up. I want to die in my sleep, not in pain. The only way you know you’re going to die is if you have an illness.

Emily: Ugh.

Finley:  This conversation took a dark turn.

Do you think of yourself as laid back/chill? I asked your sister if she thinks of herself as stubborn, because that’s how she’s always perceived. You’re perceived as very chill.

Finley: I try to be. I only get annoyed with people if they complain about things, or if someone wakes me up in the morning when I didn’t need to get woken up (like Snow-the-cat meowing at my door, or someone screaming in the house).

Emily: Those darn pets! 

What hurts your feelings? 

Finley: Julia has toughened me up. When someone crosses the line from teasing to being mean. That hurts a little bit. Or when someone takes one of my flaws and exaggerates it and makes me feel horrible. 

What flaw do you have? 

Finley: It’s not hard to find something. Everyone has something. 

Do you think you’re handsome? 

Finley: Hmmm, I don’t know. It’s 50/50. Sometimes I think I look good, but I don’t like the pimples on my nose. I don’t think they look good. I like it when my skin looks nice. Sometimes I worry that I’m too skinny, and it’s weird. I don’t want to be underweight. 

Emily: I know I’m your mom, but I think you’re handsome.

Piano, baby.

Why do you love the piano so much? 

Finley: Oooo. Well, if I’m feeling an emotion or I want to calm down, I can play the piano. It’s really fun to play songs I enjoy. I like the credit from people when I play something really nicely. I love my teacher, Laure, she’s like the best teacher I could have. She’s always been there. 

Emily: I enjoy our nightly concerts, so thank you.

Do you think you’re going to keep playing piano? 

Finley: Um, yeah. Until I have to go to college. I may take a break. Things are going to get harder and harder in school, and I’m going to have to focus on other things, so piano will be tough. I’ll probably stick with it through high school.

Do you think I’m a strict parent? 

Finley: No. But you enforce the things that really matter. I like you a lot. You reward things like ownership, and how it’s important to have it. And being looser is fun. We’re free to do things we like. 

Emily note: My kid said he likes me a lot. Is there anything more amazing?

Salty or sweet? 

Finley: I’m a smidge more sweet. I have Dad’s sweet tooth.

What’s your fave sweet thing? 

Finley: Your chocolate banana bread.

Emily: ONE MORE SQUEE.