14 years old. Happy B'day Coop

Blink and you’ll miss all the amazing achievements you’ve accomplished over the past 12 months. You’re starting to come back around to me, I wont say “gone are the days” where I have to pry a conversation from you but having you reconnect with me and talk to me has been one of my favourite things of the last few months. Your friendship base at school remains strong and you’re really achieving great things academically. At the end of year 7 you took home 7 certificates for your work across your subjects, as well as a school award which we were just so proud of.

Your diet is appalling. I mean what we eat as a family is fuelling the epic growth spurts, but the constant snacks of sugar laden lollies and drinks is disgusting! You’ve been asking more and more about getting a job, honestly I don’t know where you’ll find the time in between trainings and school, but you did spend a couple of days through the April school holidays on work experience at a café in town. You loved it, and so the job hunt is on! You love hanging with your mates, be it golfing, fishing, out on the river, swinging from the rope swing after school or playing basketball in the front yard. You finish most of our text exchanges with “yea” or “ok” even when I’ve clearly said “I love you” Besides sport, technology, your mates and school you also love concerts. You saw GreenDay with dad earlier this year, evening manging to cope with floor tickets and you came with Zoe and I to see the Micheal Jackson Musical. Technology You haven’t loved me locking your phone down. I have no idea if the government imposed social media ban on under 16s coming into effect in December will actually impact you, but if it doesn’t at least we’ve limited screen time and doon scrolling in apps to 2 hours a day and locked your phone for everything but emergency contacts between 9pm and 7:30am. I’ve still successfully managed to keep devices out of your room, which you argue less and less about each day. Sport You have really achieved a lot this year with your hockey. You loved playing with Liam in the Div 1 u13 side at the Canberra Carnival, taking out the gold. The end of 2024 you lost the JSL Grand final in a shoot out which was tough, you started playing both Mens and Juniors at Wests in the 2025 season and made the div 1 Canberra regional side for NSW Field hockey State Champs, winning gold! You’ve found your confidence with footy again too, slotting back into the Yass team as a bit of a utility, often starting in winger and moving into second row when your forwards get tired. The summer of 24/25 you played your second season of touch footy for Yass Bulls heading to carnivals all over the place as well as your first Junior State Cup, making semi finals. For school, you made it through to zone for Cross country and Regional for Javelin and Discus in Athletics in 2025. You trialled in the Opens south coast hockey side and played in Buckly Shield for Yass. Any chance to take a day off school and you’ll have it.

Things I say on the daily “get off your phone / that’s enough sugar / stop eating crap / for the love of god can you pick up X,Y,Z / brush your teeth / stop aggravating your brothers / open your window / have you got sunscreen” More about you: Friends: Liam Carter, Trav Rattenbury, Lachlan Griffiths, Coop Hoad and Nick Banfield Fav Food: still Nachos, but any sugary snack food Fav Music: you switch between all sorts of Country artists and artists like JuiceWRLD – but you still love the classic 2000s too You weigh – 65.4 kilo You are 177cm tall You are wearing a size 14 hockey shoe. You still call out from your bedroom each night, but mostly there’s no “I love you, have a good sleep, see you in the morning” it’s just “Night!” Happy 14th Birthday kiddo. Keep being you!