Six years ago, I was still in a state of shock. I had no idea what I was going to do when I became a dad. It was a pretty frightening thing to think about, if I ever let myself stop and think about it. Nikki was in the early stages of pregnancy, which had its own set of new and stressful aspects. When Braden was born in February of 2004, I finally got that feeling that everyone talks about when you have your first child. It was amazing.

So with that little preface, this week I’ve been hit with three things that have made me start to face the realization that my little boy is growing up. The first thing was that this past Monday, he had his first tee ball game. It made me so proud as a parent to watch him out there doing something he loved doing, and doing it well. To see the focus in his eyes, to see how much he was putting into it, made me gush with pride. But this is still something I wasn’t quite ready for yet.

Yesterday I decided I’d order the Kindergarten series of the Hooked on Phonics reading program. I decided to let Braden try out the demo that’s available online while we wait for the real thing to come in the mail. To my shock, once he was done with the lesson, he read his first book. It was called “Cat.” The words were simple: “Cat. Rat. Cat can tap rat. Cat Ran. Rat ran, Cat ran. WAP! Cat sat on Rat.” But to look at his face, to see his desire to get it right – I got a bit choked up.

Finally, I pulled out my calendar this morning to check the daily schedule, and was reminded that this Friday is when we have to take Braden to register for – get ready for this – kindergarten. I mean, the kid’s starting real school in the Fall. I found out that he’ll be in the graduating class of 2022, a full 23 years after I graduated high school.

I’ve heard countless times that you have to just face the fact that they’re going to grow up eventually, but should one really be concerned with that when they’re only 5 years old? I always thought I wouldn’t need to worry about that until it was time for the kids to go to college, but I’m finding that it’s affecting me right now. But I have to say – I’m incredibly proud of my son. I love his carefree lifestyle, his desire to learn, and the fact that he tells me he loves me so many times that I could never forget it.

I don’t want to discount either of my other two kids. Riley is now unable to be contained – she has figured out how to climb out of her playpen, so the only two things we have that will keep her at bay are her crib and her high chair, but I fully expect her to circumvent both of those in the near future. She is still daddy’s girl, though, and I don’t even want to think about what I’m going to be like when she turns 13.

Noah is so sweet and innocent, and looking at him this morning, I started to think about how he’s the last child I get to raise. I don’t think I’m the best dad in the world, but when that big toothless smile shows up every time I look at him, I feel like he wants to tell me that I am.

So, if you haven’t guessed, I love being a parent. I’m starting to realize, though, that parenting comes with a price – your kids eventually grow up. It’s funny how something I heard all my life (“Just wait until you have kids…”) has finally caught up with me. Boy, were those people right.