Recently, I had one of those parenting moments that made me smile. My oldest son (age 16) came home with a haircut. I had not pushed the idea of a haircut, but told him if he wanted to get job it would be a good idea. He really resisted the whole haircut thing and has gone jobless for months. Slowly, all of his friends were getting haircuts, and he decided to take the plunge. I hardly recognized him after he got the haircut.
He looked 5 years older. He also looked taller – he doesn’t have to slouch to be able to see through his bangs. He is a very handsome kid and I told him the girls were going to be calling here all of the time now. He was walking around; visibly bolder and more confident. I resisted the notion to tell him, “See, I told you so.”
I guess I better wait until he gets his first job before I start to gloat too much. It’s just a matter of time before he starts to work. He’ll be asking for the car keys, and then he will be too busy to spend time with his dad. It’s kind of bittersweet really. You have pride that your child is growing up and maturing before your eyes. But you’re sad because you know he will be gone from home soon and you’re getting less and less time together.
Time with friends becomes very important to them at this age. It reminds me of that song “Cat’s in the Cradle” by Harry Chapin. The dad is too busy to spend time with his son when the child is young. Then, when the son is older and the dad has the time to spend with his son, the son is too busy.
Maybe we just need to remind ourselves to make the time to be together with the ones we love while we still have time. We only have so many days to be together in this life. Don’t let them pass you by.
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