Meet Coryn

This handsome fella is Coryn Aslan Sebastian Orr. He is 14 years old. . . technically. I believe his soul is closer to 40 or so. His sense of humor has been years ahead of his chronological age for a long time. It is wicked and funny and often embarassing.

If you met Coryn while he was out and about, you would come away with the impression that he was sweet, quiet and polite. If you got to know him well, you would know that he is sweet. He does have good manners. Quiet? HA. Not for a moment.

Coryn is smart--and knows it. He is a smart . . . a. . . let's say aleck. He reads faster than the speed of light can hit the page. He is our resident computer geek. He recently went from a shy homebody to a teenager desperate to connect with other teenagers.

From the time he was born, he was a ham. Bring out a camera and he smiles. At only a few months old, he seemed to know there was a camera in the room and would pose. By the age of one, he would stop, smile and wait for the flash. Today he still makes faces for pictures and if someone picks up a camera, unlike his other brother who immediately hides before he can be caught, he turns to the photographer and waits. Perhaps that is why, today, he seems to lean toward a passion for photography.

He has an infectious laugh that makes me smile whenever I hear it. He loves a dirty joke more than almost anyone I've ever met. I can't tell you how many times he has read the jokes in the National Lampoon book.

Coryn had problems with homesickness for a long time. On the one hand, I felt bad for him. On the other, since he is my youngest, I didn't really mind. Now that he is completely past it, I kinda miss it. But I really AM happy for him. I was pressured to force him to get over it . . . but I waited, loved him and you know, he got over it when he was ready.

Recently I wrote a tongue in cheek article for Home Education Magazine that apparently upset a few readers. I feel badly about that because that was never my intent. When one reader wrote a letter to the magazine stating that I was clearly a bad mother, all three of my kids responded by writing letters to the magazine. Their words of love and support warmed my heart. Coryn's letter stated, "My parents are loving, caring, noncontrolling, helpful and full of great advice. They let me be who I want to be. If I ask for their help, then they help. They would never push thier ideals on me. Coryn Orr--a child who is a giant fan of his childhood and family".

Not too shabby, that boy. He makes the world a better place for me and for anyone who gets the chance to spend time with him.

PS Please note that Jon, Nicole's boyfriend, wants to take this opportunity to say hello to the world. And that he is great (and obviously humble).