The Magical Ages

Some call them page-turners... they are the magical ages that are supposed to add up to major life changes. Sleepy parents can't wait for the first birthday. Many anxious preschoolers can't wait to turn five so that they can go to kindergarten. Tweens look forward to becoming cool teens. Then comes Sweet 16, official adulthood at 18 and hitting the bars at 21.

My nephew is in town. He comes to visit every summer around my birthday. This one isn't a page turner for me. No Big 3-Oh, 4-Oh or 5-Oh this year. I've decided to tell people that I'm turning 71 so they think I look amazing for my age. The big deal around here is that is the first birthday I'm spending with an adult nephew. He drove down with a friend in his own car. He's got his own money from his summer job. He's 6'3". By all accounts he's a man now.

Knowing that he is an adult doesn't make it any easier to treat him like one. After all he and his buddy are the kings of horse play and video games. They take all things X-Box very seriously. I'm resisting the urge to tell them how long they should play. When they bought a refurbished game from a local Play and Trade store, my mom didn't want them to open up the game in the car. How many times were you warned to wait until you got home to open a new toy so you wouldn't lose the pieces? When you are 18 and just purchased the toy with your own money I guess those warnings just sound really annoying.

How do you stop treating new adults like children, when you've only known them as children? Sure, there are signs of maturity, but there are also times when I see the little boy who drew the elephant picture that's been hanging on my refrigerator for 14 years. Eighteen, the magical age that has turned my nephew into an adult doesn't seem to be a big deal to him, but his aunt is sure having a tough time!