Time flies

Posted by Jim Jagielski on Friday, August 18. 2006 in Personal

Today is my youngest son's birthday. Andrew turns 8 years old today. 8. It's hard because both Eileen and I know that before too long, he's going to be "too old" to want to kiss us goodnight, won't want to sit next to us when we're all watching TV together, won't think it's "neat" to be able to help us cook, things like that. All the stuff you take for granted when they're young. And all the stuff that they want to do, not the stuff you have to ask them to do. My 2 other sons are 14 and 17, so they've long ago past that point. They're (young) men, not "kids" or "boys". I'm proud of how they are turning out, but I also know that they are closer and closer to branching out on their own. All of which makes this phase with your youngest harder than it is with your other children. You see the change, you feel it, but it's not over yet... Your role as parent for that particular child has changed, but not your role in general. Once your youngest reaches that point, however, that whole "kid" phase of being a parent is over. And you know it. It feels kind of good, but in a sad way. That's more common in life than I would have expected.

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