Drinking with Darth Vader

My kids are grown-up.

I think.

I mean, the signs are all there.  Hillary's friends are starting to get married and have kids.  Parker has visited colleges.  They both have voter registration cards.

During our Christmas Family Shopping Day, I stood back and watched as my son walked into a real jewelry store to pick up a ring he had bought for his girlfriend (No, it's not an engagement ring, just a promise ring).  His sister accompanied him so she could check out the display.  (she takes every opportunity to send pics of rings to her boyfriend- and yes, it WILL be an engagement ring...) I chuckled as I watched the saleslady bring out the ring and assume Parker and Hillary were the happy couple.  They laughed and set her straight.  And I thought, "Am I really here?  In this stage of life where my children are in a jewelry store looking at rings and they look like they BELONG there?"

Then we went to Target, and Hillary got all excited to find wine glasses in the dollar bin.  And I thought, "Yep, it's official.  Grown-up."

And then, as we rounded the toy aisle, she gasped.  "Oh. My. Gosh." 

It was a giant Darth Vader doll.  Two feet tall and complete with mask and everything.  

"I have to have this!" she said.  (The explanation as to why would fill a whole other blog post.)

And then there's Parker.  The boy who used to cry for mama when he had to spend the night at his grandparents' house.  The boy who has spent this year's entire 18 day Christmas break at his grandparents' house and can go for days without so much as a text to mama.  (And before you start to think "oh, how sweet that he loves his grandparents so much" I should tell you that his girlfriend lives in the same town as them.)

But just as I began to despair that he was grown up I got a text from him.

"hey mama.  i'm not having the best morning.." He went on to detail the reasons why and then he continued..

"...and THIS happened..."

I laughed.  I couldn't help it.  This heavy denim comforter has been with Parker since he was about 5.  We tease him all the time about his "blankie" because he takes it anywhere he has to stay overnight.  It's way too big and heavy for my washing machine, so we have to send it off to the dry cleaner periodically.  Parker endures the sleepless nights until it returns.  I have warned him it is getting threadbare and suggested maybe we should start looking for a replacement.  But he doesn't want to talk about it.  

And now it has a 3 corner tear.  

Luckily, my mom is an awesome seamstress and will probably find a way to patch or stitch it.  

Gosh, I love these Grown Up Children.  I love that they embrace responsibility with one hand while holding on to the things that keep them young in the other.  They remind me that its ok to be both.  

So when the bills are stacking up and I'm counting the years to retirement, Darth Vader and I will sit wrapped in our "blankie" and figure it all out over a glass of wine.