Prep: or how I learned I've officially become a grown-up

Just finished reading Curtis Sittenfeld's debut book, Prep, a book I've been wanting to read for quite some time but have never gotten around to. In fact I'm pretty sure I have a hardcover copy somewhere that I bought and never read and so I have now paid twice to read this book since I had to download it for the Kindle app. Luckily it was a good book so I don't feel too bad about it (although I'm sure my husband is reading this thinking "you paid twice?!", sorry babe). I really did enjoy the book though, Sittenfeld is a great writer, in fact so good I may be tempted to read her other book which was apparently loosely based on Laura Bush. I actually thought her main character was like a modern, female Holden Caufield. At any rate I loved the book but more importantly it taught me something about myself in a very unexpected way.

I've always been a fan of coming-of-age stories which certainly adds to the reason why I liked Prep. I like them because they make me feel nostalgic and because they are always in some way relatable to my own childhood, this book more than most. This time something was different though because now I am a parent, and although as I read I still found myself harkening back to my own high school days, I found an entirely new batch of thoughts crossing my mind as well: someday this will be Sofie.

It's mind boggling to think about her being that age, but when the thought crossed my mind it was like a flash of clarity as I was again reminded of how it's not really about me anymore and I realized that having a child is almost like a second coming of age. I've never really seen myself as a real adult because I've never really felt a marked difference between my youth and adulthood other than a gradual maturity and wisdom that naturally comes with age, but I never really felt a definitive change. In reading this book, however, and finding myself relating the experience to the future of my child rather than my own past I learned that I am a grown-up now and the nice part is I don't really mind it.

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