Coming of Age

Coming of age in America.One minute you are teaching your lanky teenager to drive, white knuckled and wide-eyed, the next there's a U.S. Marine Corps opportunity booklet in the morning's mail inviting him to serve.

Inside there's a second invitation. For a friend. "Do your part to protect the American way of life," says the slogan on the back of the glossy blue envelope. And "Without you, something is missing," on the front.

Sign up today and he'll even receive his choice of free marine corps gear to wear around town. Good Lord, at sixteen (almost seventeen) he's barely even bought himself a pair of pants, let alone a dog tag.

How did this happen so soon? "Being a Marine will be a great challenge," the fold-out, stars and stripes poster subtly predicts.  "Together you share an obligation."

Recruitment mail for the military one day. College brochures from ivy-clad campuses across the country the next. Guess I'm going to have to insist on him making his bed in the morning. And doing his own laundry. Cooking more than the occasional omelet. He's coming of age.

This week has been a poignant reminder of that. For it was the sister of one of his closest friends who died in a tragic hiking accident on Monday. A tight-knit group of heartbroken boys have shown a surprising amount of maturity in supporting both the family in mourning, and one another as a community of friends.

Life has a way of showing us that our kids are coming of age. Whether we as parents are ready or not.

Comments

[Lindsey]

I bet it only seems like yesterday when you were visiting universities yourself.....next step - grandparents!!!! AAHH!!

[Frances]

not the next step, hopefully, I'd like another 10 years at least!