Milestones of Fatherhood: Getting Shorter

Last Father's Day my son, who is 15, finally passed my height. It is weird looking up at him, while still being responsible for his "upbringing." It adds an unfamiliar feeling around the house, like there's a stranger roaming around eating all the cheese.

Of all the things you read about in parenting books, nothing covers this phenomenon. I wasn't taller than my father until I turned 40, and he had been shrinking for quite a few years til I finally caught up to him.

So this is new territory for me. No longer the tallest in my house, I'm looking forward to the days of sitting around when a spider is discovered on the ceiling, now that there is another "tall-boy" to handle the task. Getting the coolers down from the high garage shelves on picnic days can now be delegated, as will some gutter-cleaning duties.

But mostly it's just different around here, as the family becomes 4 adults under the same roof...