The Boy Who Carries Fire and Softness at the Same Time
Cohen was the first.
The first little soul I connected to in a way that felt immediate, deep, and impossible to explain. From the second he was born, something in me just knew he would always be one of my people.
Not just my nephew.
My little person.
There was never a version of my life after him where he wasn’t woven into it somehow. And maybe that’s why writing about him feels emotional in a completely different way. Because when I look at Cohen, I don’t just see the boy he is becoming.
I see everything he has already survived.
The Strength He Inherited From His Mom
People always talk about how kids inherit eyes, smiles, or personalities from their parents.
But Cohen inherited something much deeper from Tristin.
Strength.
Not loud strength.
Not attention-seeking strength.
The kind of strength that gets built quietly through hard things.
If you know Tristin, you know exactly what I mean. She has always carried this fire inside of her. Strong-willed. Emotional. Protective. Deep feeling. The kind of person who loves with every part of herself, even when life gives her every reason not to.
Growing up, her and my mom used to clash constantly. Two stubborn personalities, both passionate, both emotional, both wanting to be heard. Looking back now, it’s almost funny because life really said, “Oh, you think your mom was hardheaded?”
And then gave her Cohen.
Because karma truly has a sense of humor.
That boy is her mini me in every possible way, just in boy form.
The same depth.
The same intensity.
The same loving heart hidden underneath walls.
The same anxiety that makes them both carry more internally than people realize.
And somehow, because of all of that, they understand each other better than anyone else ever could.
Even when they’re butting heads.
Growing Up Too Fast
One of the hardest things to witness is watching a child have to emotionally grow up before they should.
Cohen has been through more than most people realize. He has seen things, felt things, and carried emotions far bigger than a kid should have to carry.
But what amazes me most about him is that none of it hardened him completely.
He still shows up for people.
He still protects the people he loves.
Especially his mom.
And maybe that’s the part that gets me the most emotional. Because underneath the attitude, the teenage sarcasm, the independence, and the stubbornness… there is still this incredibly caring little boy who watches over the people he loves without even realizing he’s doing it.
That is Tristin all over again.
My Grounding Force
Out of all the boys, Cohen has always grounded me in a different way.
Maybe it’s his Taurus energy. The only Taurus in the family. Steady. Loyal. Protective. Strong-willed to an absolute fault.
Or maybe it’s just who he is at his core.
Even during seasons of my life where everything felt chaotic, uncertain, or heavy, being around him always brought me back down to earth. There’s something calming about his presence, even when he’s pretending not to care about anything.
And I don’t think he realizes how much he has helped me over the years just by existing exactly as he is.
The Boy He Is Becoming
Now he’s 15.
He’s finding his voice. Testing boundaries. Becoming his own person. There’s confidence growing in him now. Independence. Opinions. Fire.
And honestly?
It’s beautiful to watch.
Because despite everything life has thrown at him, he is still becoming someone strong, loving, and deeply grounded.
Not perfect.
Not untouched by pain.
But resilient.
The kind of resilient that gets built through real life.
Always My Co
No matter how old he gets, he will always be my Co.
My cocolabobo.
My grounding force.
The boy who reminds me so much of his mom it hurts sometimes.
And maybe that’s what makes their connection so powerful.
They are both strong in the same ways.
Sensitive in the same ways.
And they both love harder than they know how to express sometimes.
But underneath all the stubbornness and clashing personalities is something unbreakable.
Love.
The kind that survives hard seasons.
The kind that grows through pain.
The kind that becomes stronger because of everything they’ve been through together.
And watching him grow into who he is becoming has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.