Starting tomorrow ... Dolberry is a POAT ... can you bleat it?

No, I cannot believe it. 

POAT = parent of a teenager  Should this make me feel old?  It doesn't really.  Dolberry will always stay in the shallow end of the pool.  I generally adhere to the philosophy that you are never younger than you are at this very moment.  And anyway, worying about it won't subtract a single moment from APD's life ...

Dolberry's position on APD is well-established, but I'll say it again.  I think you are simply awesome.  I love your steadfastness ... your tendency toward whimsy ... everything about you that echoes your beautiful mom reverberated through a new but equally rocking song  ... everything about you where I see the DNA of your grandparents ... your tenacity and dedication and honesty and genuineness and carefree spirit and loving nature.  And a million other things, but you get the point.  You can't win a 5K in the first quarter mile, but there's something to be said for getting off to a good start.  Keep it up. 

But back to the point (me!  of course) ... I remember thinking and saying, in those pre-APD days, that I thought Dolberry would be a good dad for any kid that was beyond potty training but not yet a teenager.  Felt pretty good about the sweet spot years where all that would be needed was two cups firm hand with a tablespoon of goofball antics (or was it the other way around).  But I remember being surprised by those first three years ... there was incalculable joy in rocking YOU to sleep ... and watching YOU crawl ... and hearing YOU babble that dukita...dukita...dukita chant.  What I fundamentally miscalculated was that there can be a real relationship between a dad and a newborn ... when that newborn was YOU.  I now suspect the same will be true for the teenage years ... maybe it won't be the exact same as it was ... and it'd be wrong if it was ... but there'll be a meaningful amazing relationship just the same. 

I further suspect that the next six years will probably go by twice as fast as those first three did.  Just know that you continue to grow and become who you are (it happens once in a lifetime) ... your mom and dad have your back every step of the way.