Loosening the Reins

     Tomorrow Adventure Boy goes to the movies with a friend by himself.  I don’t know what movie they will see.  The friend’s mother is just going to drop them off at the mall, and they are going to go to the food court and grab some lunch on their own and go see a movie.

     Then the mom is going to go pick them up.

     Within the last few months, we’ve started letting him just yell “I’m headed to so-and-so’s house” as he runs out the door, straps on his helmet and jumps on his bike.  He’s taken solo bike trips to the nearest grocery store (about two miles away, crossing busy streets) and we’ve put total responsibility on him to just get his homework done and turned in.

     He baby-sits Grasshopper and helps him out with homework in a pinch.

     He recently went on a duck hunt with his Dad and Grandpa where he displayed incomparable maturity and presence of mind in adhering to the rules of safety and good sportsmanship.  This is a 12-year-old with a shotgun in a boat.  No small amount of trust required, is what I’m saying.

     The results have been amazing.  He’s really risen to the occasion.  Sure, we’ve had a couple of days where a lack of planning on his part has lead to a state of emergency for the whole family…but generally, it has been a lot easier on all of us.

     One year ago, if you’d told me this was coming, I would have said you were crazy.  Hell, as recently as six months ago I would have said you were crazy.

     We got his school pictures back today, and I was ill-prepared for the “Hey, whusssup?” expression on his face.

     When did he become so serious, mature, and...reliable?  What happened to the dorky kid with the overly toothy smile and squinty eyes of school pictures past?  What happened to the kid who couldn’t find his head with both hands on a good day…much less remember to turn in his homework?

     Oh wait…there he is…downstairs in his room doing an overly-operatic rendition of Darth Vader’s theme…whew.  I thought he might be gone for good.