It’s often said that men reach maturity later than women. I have seen evidence of this in my nephew who is nearly twenty one and has never had a full-time job. The part-time jobs he worked for a few weeks and then bailed. I worry about him; I pray for him, I write encouraging cards for his birthday. Mostly, though I remain a little angry. I see his aimless lifestyle of watching soccer, partying with his friends, and bumming money from his grandfather as a sad existence.

My nephew has tried community college several times, and is now pursuing an online associate degree, two classes at a time. Although I appreciate his college attempts, I also see it’s breaking his mother financially. I wonder about my role. I wonder about his self-esteem. I wonder about the emergence of a man from teenage angst. I hope one day he gets an MBA business degree in economics, or web-design, or green technology.

Waiting for maturity at times is painful for the observer. I hope my nephew takes his online education seriously and one day pursues a masters degree program online. Whatever his journey, I pray that I can be patient and remember the last days of youth are not a permanent condition.

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