His slow transition into an autonomous life is about to metamorphose. As he waits to leave for college, we piece together time and occupy as much space with him that we can. At least in our household, he will soon become a scarce commodity.

He told me recently that he’s been waiting for a while to get out of high school. I get it. We Americans tend to coddle our kids, and often in destructive ways. Independence is one of our core values, but that doesn’t help when the rules hold you back.

Welcome to adulthood, sir.