Kids growing up and leaving home is way overrated. Playing Monopoly during school breaks at Christmas and Spring Break has been a family tradition for a number of years now. This afternoon I showed the boys that the old man can still monopolize them. But we were missing a player during this game. Randall is spending his Spring Break with friends. He will soon be 22 years old. What should I expect?

I expect him to roll the clock back and be 15 years old again. I expect him to park his car and act like he is too young to have a driver’s license. I want him to ask me to take him to the video store to rent a game or a movie. I just want to live in the past! But that is not going to happen.

If I had the opportunity to share a few words of wisdom with young parents, this is what I would say:

• I spent too much time pursuing an advanced degree when my boys were young. They are only young once. Degrees and other pursuits can wait. Enough said.


• Cherish every single stage in their growth and development. Each moment carries blessings.


• Structured activities are great, but over scheduling kids is a huge mistake. There should be time for camping trips, and other family outings.


• Adapt your priorities based on the age and life stage of your children. When my kids were little, I was a room dad at school. When they were older, I went on debate trips. I don’t regret those choices at all!

Traditions are great. I hope we continue to play Monopoly for many years to come. I just hope that in the future all of four of us can be at the game table. Jan quit playing with us years ago. She considers our game behavior to be inexcusable and perhaps even embarrassing! She can’t help herself. What should I expect? She is a girl!