When I was young I was watching Roly Poly and The Wiggles.  My favorite game to play was  Hide and Go Seek with my parents For some reason they never could find me.Now I’m watching Rated R movies and  playing M-rated Video Games. They do seem to find me doing nothing  and like to point that out .  Telling inappropriate  jokes are even acceptable at this place in our relationship .  So much can change during the course of time, one day we were watching Roly Poly the next we were watching We're The Millers.

There's no problem with that, but it's a parent's job to make sure their kid doesn’t end up a brat. When you are toddler your parent's job is to keep an eye on you at all times, to make sure they don't put toilet paper rolls in the toilet.Their favorite word is “NO”.  I on the other hand, constantly  was asking “why” and “how come”? Being sneaky and making a big mess goes with being little. I loved to dump out my bowl of cereal.  Learning right from wrong is also part of growing up.  My dad and mom made sure I felt loved but also that I new right from wrong.  As time went on things started to change.

By the time I was in elementary school I was more aware of stuff like bad words.  I knew you better not say any of those words at school. Those rules applied for me at home too. I still got yelled at for making a mess, not doing my jobs and for lipping off but it seemed like my parents liked hanging out with me a little more. Well I didn’t think they were so bad either.

Family vacations seemed a little less stressful.  Ben and I didn't fight so much anymore.  We can sit by each other without touching  every other minute. Most of all I noticed that my choices in games, movies and conversation isn’t under my parent's scrutiny so much anymore. 

Never will I forget the day when my Dad was pulling out the driveway on his way to  Chuggers.   Ben and I  were taunting him.  We pretending to touch his precious “Brittany” also known as his second wife  I mean, I can't blame him, she’s super sexy. And  how her engine purrs like a kitten . She is dressed in a super sexy flame design outfit .   But remember, nobody touches” Brittany”. Dad gave me the death stare.But then something really crazy happened.  He flipped me off.  I stood there confused.  Did my dad really just do that.  I lifted my right arm, put up my hand, and I slowly raised my middle digit. Yep, I gave him  the finger back.   Ben and I turned around to go into the house. Ben looked up at me. I shrugged my shoulders and kept walking.  That is when it hit me. My dad  just treated me as a man not a boy.  We have reached a new place.  That of young adulthood. I am sure the yelling and crabbing won’t stop, but but knowing that my dad sees me in a different way and that  makes me feel something I am still churning over in my mind.  That of being an young adult in my dad’s eyes.  It felt great.

So time has a way of taking a kid from toddler to teenager.  Mom’s and Dad’s play a big role in this process.The idea of being an adult scares me, but the journey is fun so far. I think.