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College, family, being charged as an adult...growing up has many complications that seem to sneak up on our youth like a thief in the night. It seems like just yesterday when...

I was outside with my friends playing baseball without a care in the world. It was early June which meant summer break had just begun and that meant everyday was Friday until after Labor Day. I remember several summer's like this. Memories of how much there was to learn in the world even if it came from Tim Pryor's fathers Hustler collection (I never said all the memories were innocent) to my first day at a new school to start the 6th grade-and I thought that was stressful. Fast forward several years to...

Thinking about college and what the future held. I ran with the wrong crowd at times and wasn't always a "good" kid but man, it was fun and, whew, we raised some hell during my teenage years. But a lot of that came to an end when I found out I was going to be a father at age 17. That was the best friggin thing to ever happen to me. My father raised me to be a man where family came first and I sensed that same sense of duty. Finding out I was having a baby helped get me away from some of the hoodlems that were going to get me in a whole lot of trouble.

I never realized how hard it was to be a parent. The time, the money, the sleepless nights. I missed going out with my friends and doing what other 18-20 year olds were doing. I would fine the time but it wasn't ever the same though. Before I did anything I thought about how it would affect my son.

Today, I have two sons and I love them more than anything. But the stress that comes with growing up can be overwhelming. Some people think I am immature for my age (I am not even 30) but I don't care what they think. I pay my bills, spend plenty of time with my sons and do what a lot of other "adults" do. What I do on my spare time is my business...I like to have my fun (no, I don't do drugs) having some drinks, chasing some tail, etc so excuse me if I don't constantly worry about my 401K or other BS...

In the process of growing up life will throw you some curve balls and sometimes you will swing and miss and other times you will crush them out of the park. Only going to a community college I don't know a whole lot but I do know this...I am in for one hell of a mid-life crisis.

Learn more about this author, Matthew Soo.
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