The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
We must’ve done something right to get to this point
The Student’s 21st is looming and I’m once again using a landmark birthday to take stock. As with the first birthday (Phew, we’ve made it through a whole year) the 18th (Phew, we’ve made it through the school years) and all the rites-ofpassage in between, I can’t believe where all the years have gone.
This one seems significant because, as she starts her final year of uni, I now see her as an independent, interesting, grown-up person who I love spending time with.
Who knew?
All those years of winging it, doing the parenting thing by the seat of our pants, constantly bemoaning the lack of a comprehensive instruction manual, yet here we are, enjoying the company of our daughter who seems to have got on and done the growing up thing despite her clueless parents.
As I dwell on this upcoming birthday, I can’t help thinking back to all those firsts – first tooth, first day at school, first trip away without us, first serious relationship – and thinking if you’d told me at any of those times that we’d make it to this milestone, I’d have seriously doubted it.
Of course, it’s not all been plain sailing and I’m sure that the constant worrying never stops, however old your children are, but now and again it’s good to get to a stage where you can enjoy them and think you must have done something right.
And a milestone birthday gives you that excuse. As with everyone having a landmark birthday this year, the actual celebrations will be very low key, but we’ll still get to do the wee family traditions she still insists on and which we’ve done every year since she was born, including festooning our kitchen table in balloons and me making a lopsided birthday cake.
As the birthday approaches, me and Mr P are gearing up for our traditional ‘remember when’ sessions and he’ll be digging out the old photos from birthdays past as we descend into sentimental wrecks.
Because she may be 21, but she’s still our baby.
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First tooth, first day at school, first trip away, first serious relationship