Full circle

 Kids grow up at the speed of sound, leaving you to wonder how fast time passed. One minute they're hanging onto your pants leg, begging for a cookie, then they've figured out the secret hiding place of the cookie jar.

One minute, they're filling your memories so quickly with funny faces and putting on magic shows for their friends. And then the cardboard boxes filled with outgrown toys are stashed away in the garage, waiting for the next child to rescue.

As a parent, we keep tabs on their whereabouts until we catch them in a lie, swearing they didn't go into town by themselves or they spent the night at a school friends studying, only to be caught by dad sitting in the living room with the lights off until they quietly close the door and the lights went on.

It's a well-known fact that kids will test your patience in ways they've researched, and in the blink of an eye, they develop a language of their own with words you've never heard of, let alone understand.

You somehow get through the teenage years, wondering if it's a good idea to move them into the basement, but then mom says no, and the show continues.

They continue to grow and question everything they can, laughing silently as they keep us on our last nerve and ready to blow a gasket. Then out of nowhere, a new child emerges from the depths of somewhere only they know, and they dress nicely and do chores without throwing a temper tantrum. They hold intelligent conversations at the dinner table, offering to do the dishes as mom grabs her chest, and dad's mouth remains open as small pieces of food fall out of his mouth.

Now, after years of blowing up mailboxes, joyriding in Dad's car while he slept, sneaking girls or boys into their bedroom, and finding out how many drinks it takes before they puke, they've transformed from a cocoon to a butterfly, and life is looking good.

But you never stop worrying about them, or at least not so much as you wait for it to all come full circle. You're up there in age now, and they're grown-ups who visit to clean your house, do your laundry, and handle your shopping, as it's hard for you to move around quickly and risk falling, or so they think. Not that you couldn't do those things, and probably better than they can. But payback is a real thing, and at your age, laughter is the best medicine.

Mike 2025