The Giver
Eleven years old is the new thirteen. They are all pubescent and adolescent and so so over you.
Mothering the eleven-year-old is all about being there but acting like you're not. You gotta be there to say it's enough computer time. You gotta remind them to eat a snack. You gotta tell them to put deodorant on. You have to force them to bathe. And then you slink off into your own world where you won't embarrass them too much until you plan family time and feel ready to ride their eleven-year-old emotional roller coaster. It's always worth it to me. Stacking the deck by feeding, watering and being sure he's not exhausted works better. But still, it's a crap shoot.
Eleven years old also seems to be about me no longer getting to read my own books. I love, eat up, cherish the time we still share where I read books to him at night. I'm talking about my own reading...