Growing up

I celebrated the college graduation today of a boy I babysat once upon a time ago. His brother graduated last year and now him. They will both be in grad school this fall.

Those boys will always be my boys no matter how old they are. I broke up fights, cleaned up cuts and scrapes, played Nintendo until my thumbs hurt, pitched baseballs and watched more VHS tapes that I can remember.

Just like my cousins will always be the little kids sitting in their car seats in the back of my Sunfire looking forward to a visit to Pizza Hut followed by a showing of either The Jungle Book or Zorro. It doesn't matter that one just finished her freshman year of college and the other is a rising senior. 

I know growing up happens but I'm not entirely sure why I have to grow older too. I feel like that same person - just a little bit smarter. Mom always told me she felt like an 18-year-old in her head and now I understand how that happens.