Today, our family will celebrate my son's 21st birthday, and I thought I'd take an opportunity to tell you a little about my only child.

I married the First Mate when David was 9 years old (I adopted him later on), and we had our transition problems. In speaking to others about marrying into an existing family, I usually tell people it's like becoming the second Darrin on Bewitched; you know you have a new part, but you haven't got a clue about all the rules -- and, by the way, you're supposed to be on stage NOW. David has always had his own mind about things, and ... well, so do I. (As if you couldn't tell that from my blog.)

However, David always had something special about him, even when he drove me up a wall. We had all the normal teenager issues with him, especially early on, but even when he was young he could surprise me with a sudden insight that seemed to come out of nowhere. He developed a wizard-like ability in math and sciences even while he ignored just about every other subject in school. When he started dating the woman who's now our daughter-in-law, Missy, he buckled down in school and turned into an academic achiever that had me wondering if we'd gotten the wrong report cards in the mail.

In their senior year, however, Missy got pregnant. Every parent dreads that news, and the four of us worried about their future and their ability to finish high school. What none of us counted on was how much courage and tenacity that the two of them had developed in their quiet ways. Missy spent her entire senior year pregnant, and the first five or six months she was so sick that she had to be on home IVs to avoid dehydration. David would go to her house early and get her IV line started and then head out to school, where Missy would join him after her IV was finished. She and David not only finished their senior year but both got outstanding grades; David got the best grades of his life, turning into an A student. (Someday I'll write about the hostility they got from their school administration when they discovered that Missy intended on keeping the baby, but today's not the time.)

Three days before they graduated, we were blessed with our beautiful granddaughter Kayla, the Little Admiral. We thought that Missy would have to skip the ceremony, but once more we failed to consider a streak of iron in her that could easily be missed if you don't know her well. Not only did she attend her graduation while four grandparents took turns watching the Little Admiral, but she even attended an awards ceremony the day before that, checking out of the hospital an hour before it started.

Now David and Missy have been married almost three years, have a beautiful child, and both of them attend college and get good grades. Both will transfer to universities in the fall, David to the U of M, Missy to Augsberg. They've been wonderful and patient parents, and more than that, they've turned into wonderful, responsible, and terrific people. I'd love to claim all the credit for it, but having watched them tackle the world and win like they did, I'm just glad to know them and have them as family.

Happy birthday, David. Thank you for bringing Missy and Kayla into our lives and our family.

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» Against the Odds from Between Worlds
Ever get tired of people telling you that you're going to fail? Today, Captain Ed Morrissey's adopted son, David, turns 21, and the Captain pauses from his usual political blogging to celebrate David's life, and his overcoming of obstacles. Oh, and t... [Read More]

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I love this story! I LOVE this story! On the occasion of his son's 21st birthday, Ed Morrissey waxes proudly, as he should. In an age where pregnant teenagers are routinely told, "you can't have that baby! You'll have no life! You'll accomplish n... [Read More]

Tracked on May 26, 2005 12:16 AM

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