I think most parents sort of know in their gut that their offspring are going to do just fine in this world at some point.
That point came for me last spring.
That was the moment my son came to me with a plan about adding some HVAC equipment to the attic so he could get some quiet to study. And that’s a kid who’s never had a problem and has always been a helpful, pleasant human being. But he has younger siblings who are so much louder than he is and we all share the same air conditioning in our home. When my son proposed this idea, he was a rising senior and had been really working on getting into the colleges he wants. So he worked really hard on his academics while also working toward applying for several different scholarships. Getting a college degree these days is super expensive and he is fully aware of that fact. Yet, I knew I had raised the sort of son that was going to be fine when he came to me about this project. It wasn’t like he came to me whining or crying about not having a place to his own so he could study. Instead he came to me with a fully vetted plan to create his own space up in the attic. This kid went to the HVAC company to get prices on a ductless heat pump. He also detailed all the other things that he could do to transform the space. And then, he offered to pay for part of it out of his summer job savings. We put in the ductless HVAC unit and I’m just so proud to be that kid’s dad.