Where Did That Little Boy Go?

We used to stand back to back, comparing our heights, he struggling to be taller than I was, I enjoying the fact that there was someone in my universe over whom I could tower... or at least, peer.

Those days are long gone.  I swear he grew 5" since I saw him a month ago, at his brother's high school graduation party (which is a whole 'nother story.... wasn't he just in Montessori pre-school?).  He has long lanky legs that have sprung out of nowhere.  

He spends many of his mornings in basketball camp and his afternoons lifting weights at the gym.  I'm no longer needed for rebounding or as the pick in the pick and roll.  His friends drive him where he needs to go, and, in two weeks or so he'll be driving himself.

His mom would not sign off on his official license unless I thought he was ready.  

Are they ever ready?  They are infants at the helm of several tons of metal hurtling at alarming speeds over poorly paved roads surrounded by inattentive drivers, aptly described in Grandpa's Advice : They're all jerks.

But. I must confess, he can parallel park like a champ, can back up his unpaved driveway and avoid crashing into the cacti, can execute a 3-point turn, and pull into a parking space.  

He cuts his right turns a little tight (I found myself once again clutching the arm rest, pulling the car away from that curb he was just about to .....), but took correction to heart.  

And he can enter I-10, on an uphill, one lane, litter-strewn ramp, with giant trucks everywhere, merging gracefully at speed into the fray.  He can drive 75 miles an hour, buffeted by passing semis, and carry on a fairly coherent conversation.  

He knows that he is never to text and drive.  

There's only so much protection I can give him.  He's ready to fly the nest.