TheBanyanTree: another milestone...

[Sachet]

He's been taller than me for a few years now, so that hasn't been a 
defining attribute of adulthood.
Shaving has seemed the same because he only has to shave once or twice 
week. Driving is not a
favorite activity for him (go figure), which means he still gets 
chauffeured a lot, even at 16. Therefore,
I still feel very much like a mom carting her kid around in that regard.

I've been gradually teaching him how to use minor power tools for the 
past few years, along with all the little things that
are helpful to know when caring for a home. He also knows how to cook, 
do laundry, vacuum, clean house, etc., etc., etc.
(Not that he LIKES to do these things or does them on a regular basis, 
but he does indeed know how to do them. )

All of the ongoing changes in his maturity level, his physical 
appearance and his overall demeanor have been noticed
by me and I know that he's a young man now, no longer my little boy.

But today was a truly defining moment for him. He crossed a powerful 
threshold.

I'm still smiling as I think about it.

Today my son wielded the chain saw for the first time! He planned out 
how to tackle the project (dead tree limb that needed to come down 
before the ice storms hit), enlisted help, gathered the needed tools and 
went to work. His excitement and sense of pride in his accomplishment 
were so intense. I smiled and nodded, a captive audience as he relived 
the experience afterwards. He took one more definitive step into manhood 
today. Power tools. Gotta love 'em <g>

...Sachet