Slowly pushing out of the nest

[primsong]

My grown son is still living with me but thank heavens he's been working now, he got a job this fall wrangling grocery carts for a very busy Winco store and is now trying to make it to March for a solid six months of employment on his record so he can try to find something not so hard on his body (golly it's a hard job!) and maybe with a little better pay than minimum. He's adjusted to cooking his own food now that he got through the obligatory "Oh wow, I have money, I can buy ALL THE DOUGHNUTS AND SUGARED CEREAL that Mom wouldn't let me have growing up!" phase. There's still a lot of noodles and pizza involved, but it's a lot more like Real Food than it was.

I'm raising his rent every six months and he's gradually getting better at remembering to pay it on time. So grateful he's finding his feet a bit more, now if the darn rents around here wouldn't be shooting up so badly... hoping that maybe we can launch him into the world this year.

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[senmut]

I just brought my now 18 year old son into my home. He's got a semester left of high school. Trying my best to help him get all his legal footing straight, and then we'll see what happens after the graduation.

So I do enjoy these little updates, as I look at what could be ahead.

[primsong]

The hardest parts for me have been not commenting on the state of his room (the agreement I wrote up was I do not comment unless it is an actual hazard as long as he pays rent), and not helping when he is struggling to do something adults need to do on their own. This week, he was trying to install a stereo in his pickup for the first time and ran into enough complications I suggested he take it to a pro installation service to get it over with. He was amenable to the idea, but didn't want to make the phone call to set up an appointment - seriously... LOTS of angst about "I have such a hard time talking to people on the phone" and "I don't know what to say to them!"... it was surprisingly hard for me not to just call them myself to get it over with. After an emotional meltdown and extended moping that I deliberately didn't react to, I heard him quietly taking the phone into another room and making the call himself. It's forcing these tiny steps that make up the fabric of his growing up more than anything else, really.