By the mid teens, our kids usually look down on our thinning/graying hair with mild contempt. Our views archaic, our rules repressive, we can't possibly comprehend their feelings--and rightness, and fitness to seize the day themselves.
My youngest is a 21 year old guy who makes us proud. We're still helping fund his life, so we expect to be heavily involved when he makes choices--like moving, taking trips, changing majors.
I see some encouraging signs. Recently, he has:
*passed up night snorkeling because there could be a bull shark lurking in the shallows. (sense of mortality--yes! finally!) "It would be fun, but one mistake like that and I would be fish food."
*spent a sleepless night weighing options about where to live, and with whom.
*described his idea of a perfect wife--and she sounded remarkably like a perfect mom and daughter-in-law
*called his sister on her birthday
I am getting the comfortable idea that by the time he graduates, he'll know how to create a very good life for himself--and take care of the others in his life. What more could a parent pray for?
