DJ turned 18 on October 16, 2015. This was a very significant milestone as it probably is for everyone. However, for DJ I had been thinking about how things should change now that he is 18. He already has a job and is going to college. He has a car and takes responsibility for himself most of the time. I had planned the day of his birthday well in advance so that we could both celebrate his new adulthood and take care of some tasks on day one.
I had DJ take the day off from work so that we could go to the bank, register to vote, register for selective service, get his own credit card, etc. DJ wasn't interested in buying lottery tickets (DJ knows basic math) but he did want to take some handguns to the local shooting range and shoot by himself for the first time ever.
We tried to register to vote online but being his first time, the government needs to mail him something to start a paper process. After that we went to the bank. We met the branch manager at the bank and closed the joint account I had with DJ and opened a new one with only his name on it. I was surprised to learn that DJ had saved most of what he had earned at his job in that joint account. We also ordered a credit card with a low limit so he can start building a credit file. Most importantly, he has a relationship with a banker now so that he can get some advice on financial matters when necessary.
Later that night we had an expensive steak dinner at the
Dal Rae in Pico Rivera on our way to the Met, a small theater that was playing the
Green Day musical. We had front row VIP seats that I had bought months earlier. The pictures are from that show.
I got to spend the day and night with DJ on his 18th birthday. I am so proud of him and the man he is becoming.
