Eighteen

 Nate @ 13 (blue hair courtesy of me)

It is no small thing to raise a child to adulthood. I have had the honor of playing a supporting role for the second half of Nate's childhood, with most of my job being to keep his dad steady during this tumultuous adolscence. Today, on his eighteenth birthday, I raise a glass to the man that Nate is becoming and all our hopes for his future, and especially for the man, his dad, who has stuck with him for his whole childhood, no matter how hard things got. To me, this birthday is a celebration of their relationship as much as anything.

I also breathe a sigh of relief because, even though we'll continue to offer him plenty of support, somehow the worries have a different quality now - keeping all the love and handing off the ultimate responsibility for his life to him. We did it! This one made it through.