Like all parents, I like celebrating my kids’ milestones … Their first step, their first tooth, moving to a ‘big boy’ bed, starting school, graduating …
You get the point.
My boys are now mostly grown. H will be 23 tomorrow and O turned 20 last month. They are adult-ish. And unlike when they were babies and grade-schoolers, the milestones are now few and far between.
But yesterday, we celebrated a new, albeit less-prominent, achievement …
O went to the doctor by himself for the first time — like a real grown up!
Granted, I made the appointment, helped him fill out all the paperwork the night before, and reminded him to bring his insurance card and driver’s license. But at least I didn’t have to go with him.
I’ll admit … I was prepared for at least one phone call or text from the doctor’s office. After all, in the past, if he was asked a question about his medical history, I could jump in to answer when he didn’t know.
Not this time, though. He was on his own. And you know what? He did okay. He only texted me once.
I really thought it would be more like this:
These are the things that mean my boys are really growing up.
Making appointments, knowing their medical history, staying on top of car maintenance, balancing their checkbook (or the virtual equivalent), etc. … Knowing how to do these things truly mark their move into adulthood.
I know my boys are capable, but I also know they need reminding. After all, 23 and 20 aren’t really grown-ups. They’re baby adults, and they still have so much to learn. They also need gas money and my Apple and Netflix passwords, but that’s a different thing entirely.
— LJDT
