The Coming of MyAge – a short story

Tags: facebook, writing

Written by me and edited by Niel de la Rouviere

–

“Do you think she is ready?” I prompted my wife who sat at the end of the table.

“I don’t know! How does anyone know when it’s the right time?” she said while she fidgeted with her hair.

“Google is just saying what we both know: it’s inevitable. The only question is when?”

We both sat in silence…

“I was thirteen, and she’s now thirteen,” I told her.

“I know, I know… But are we ready to accept that she is old enough? It is after all more something we have to accept too.”

I got up and started to make some coffee.

“We are the second generation that has to put up with this. I just can’t imagine how our parents decided it!” I gestured while dropping sugar into my coffee.

“I know… I think we should ask: is she ready to accept that we are all just human? Is she ready to accept us? We are her pillar. Is she strong enough to handle it?”

“I don’t think she’ll mind really. I’m sure her desire is just to check out if her parents are indeed ‘real people’. All her friends probably know stuff about their parents.”

“Yes, but do we need to show her that? Ask yourself that Jason!”

“I am! I… am… I’m ready to let my relationship with my daughter be taken to the next level. I mean, everyone knows everything of anyone else today anyway. I know what Sally had for breakfast, who she dated three years ago and I even know how she became our neighbour without even talking to her. It’s inevitable, Mary!’

With another sip of my coffee, I somehow knew that I had struck some chord on the way to solving this new problem that was suddenly plaguing countless parents across the planet.

“I don’t want my daughter to know what I did in my college years! I don’t want her to see how we partied the night away. Don’t even start with the flirting with Maxwell from high-school… just… no. Not yet.”

“What you are describing is the way of life. Every child thinks that their parents don’t know what they are doing. Before social networks, our parents stood on pedestals. They were scared… scared that if their behaviour somehow became acceptable, the chance that we would get hurt would be greater.”

Lisa stared into my eyes. She had a weird frown; a cross between something angry and worried.

“It has to happen sometime I guess…” She gave a sigh while staring at her empty coffee. “I guess, the sooner it happens, the earlier we can become not just a family in the traditional sense, but a tightly knit unit of… friends. No, that isn’t the right word. Umm… not equals, but companions.”

The sweet taste of that last sugary sip of coffee reflected just how glad I am that in these times it is easier to share who and what we are.

“I will go tell her tomorrow that she can get her Facebook account and add us.”