On Becoming a Man

Yesterday, The Teen turned eighteen. We marked the occasion with a special trip to Lake of the Ozarks (a special post about the trip is forthcoming), and today we pack up and head back home.

I'm the only one awake right now, and as I sit here and enjoy the lake view with my cup of coffee, I reflect on my son.

He's all the best parts of me: intelligent, kind, caring, witty, and hard-working. I'm so proud of him for all the effort he's put into his life in order to attain his goals.

I'm proud but I'm also a bit envious. I wish I would have pushed harder for the future when I was his age. Then again, things were different when I was growing up. I've done my best to lead him into adulthood by largely pointing my fingers and saying, "Get out there."

The best gift I can give him is independence and the confidence needed to handle it. He's ready. I'm just not so sure that I am.