My son's 18th birthday hit me harder than I expected

I just got the birthday card back from my agency in Portland, the one they forward every year... and I realized he's officially an adult now. It's been 6,570 days since I signed the papers, and that number just sat with me all morning. Does anyone else find these big age milestones bring up a whole new wave of feelings?

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emma3496mo ago

That 6,570 days detail really got to me. I remember feeling a similar gut punch when my nephew hit 18, like a chapter closed for good. I like what susan_hart17 said about writing a letter, it's a quiet way to sort through the mess of pride and loss. These milestones force you to see time in a whole new way. It's okay to sit with the heavy feeling for a bit.

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susan_hart176mo ago

Wow, that number really makes it feel real, doesn't it? I had a similar moment when my daughter turned 18 last year. It helped me to write a long letter to her, just for myself, about all the feelings. Maybe try doing something small and quiet to mark the day for you, like looking at old pictures. These big birthdays really do open the floodgates.

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lindagreen5mo ago

That letter idea is a good one, I might need to steal it. My version would probably just be a list of all the times I messed up packed lunches or forgot school spirit days. It's funny how a number like @emma349 mentioned can just stop you cold. Makes you want to dig out the baby pictures and then maybe have a quiet cry in the kitchen.

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