Ash is 19 - his final year as a Teen, and I'm so NOT ready for THIS!

Ash turns nineteen today.

*gasp*

19 years old – a final fling at being a teen and the beginning of adulting.

Seriously, where have all the years gone? Why does life have to go by so fast? I wish I could hit rewind and pause buttons and just savor the blessing of Ash as a child and adolescent.

But there is no stopping time, of course. It’s a bittersweet moment because I'm saying goodbye to the child the wifey and I raised and embracing the young adult he has and will become.

Some people say that turning 19 isn’t that big of a deal, but it’s really the last year you'll ever be able to call yourself a teenager, which is a milestone that definitely deserves some recognition.

One's 19th birthday is a bridge between being a teen and a full-fledged adult. Legally, you may be considered an adult, but you’re still technically a teenager too.

So to Ash, I just want you to know that it's a tough pill for me to swallow. You're no longer the little boy, no longer an adolescent but a grown man who is beginning to make a life of his own.

However, that doesn’t mean you are simply ON YOUR OWN. Both your mummy and I still deeply want to be in your life and you in ours. We may not be in the straight-cut 'parent-child' relationship where you simply just take our word and do what we say, but we still remain your loving parents – ready to provide advice, support, friendship and also to share in the up’s and down’s life brings.

And because you are my firstborn, being a Dad to a soon-to-be non-teenager is new territory for me. Loosening the kite string hasn’t been easy, but it has to be done. It takes a conscious effort to not over-parent, over-love, over-Dad or even over-advise you.

But it’s an exciting time, a time of transition, of looking to and planning for your future. Always believe that you will make a difference for you certainly have in my life. I am blessed to call you my son.

Happy 19th Birthday, Ash.

Your loving and proud,
Dad