Holy Candlesticks Batman!

My son turns 21 today.

I can still remember (will never forget?) walking through the parking lot at Newton Wellesley Hospital to get my car and head into work after my wife delivered him into the world; thinking "I'm a father... I'm responsible for this kid for the next 21 years and beyond. Whoa." I was only 26 at the time so 21 years hence was an inconceivably long time.

Pretty heavy stuff, fatherhood. Kinda like taking the red pill if you ask me.

Anyway, now he can drive, vote and drink. Something tells me that tonight won't be his first taste of alcohol, but he has been a pretty good kid (compared to me!). At least tonight he'll be safely tucked into a limo with some of his friends as they go bar hoping to celebrate his birthday so we know he won't be drinking and driving and he'll actually make it through his 21st birthday intact.

He's turned out to be a pretty good kid. He's quite artistic; his major is graphic arts and he's done some impressive stuff with photoshop. He had a rough time in high school with his grades because he had ADD and we didn't recognize the problem (because we associated ADD with hyperactivity; but that's ADHD). But now he's well over that and is on the Dean's list. He seems to have made it through the hell that is being a teenager and is slowly returning to the human race. He's got a steady job at Home Depot... in fact, he's had a job (sometimes two) continually since he was about 15. He's even starting to act civilly with his sister, which we haven't seen since he started grade school. Yeah, he has turned out alright. Much (most?) of the credit goes to my wife.

Fatherhood... I highly recommend it.