Birthday Wishes

It’s Oliver’s birthday today, and we will celebrate it with egg rolls and cake because that’s just the kind of wild people we are.

The thing about being a parent is that it never really ends, though it changes shape as you go.

You start when they’re small and you have to do everything for them, and eventually they get big and they can do all the things on their own. That's how it works. A long time ago, back when I was on the other side of this discussion, my dad told me that at some point your job as a parent is no longer to be the center of your child’s world but is instead to be a home base, a place where they can always return and be welcome and loved as they go off to make their own lives.

Oliver has done a lot in his time on this planet, and there is more to come as he builds a life of his own.

But there will always be a place for him here.

Happy birthday, Oliver.

I’m proud of you.