10 Signs Your Kid is Growing Up

Millie writes:

It's not always easy to know when you're doing your job right in this Parenting biz. Development tends to occur slowly, and when you're right there in the trenches every day it can be difficult to notice growth as it happens. Therefore, purely in the interests of Science, here are ten signs to watch for that your kid is growing up.

1. The first time they use the toilet without being prompted

2. The first time there's not a 5-foot “splash radius” around the high chair

3. The first time they dress themselves

4. When they stop hugging you at school because “somebody might see,” and then when they start hugging you at school again because “they don't care who sees”

5. When a school official calls you to tell you about the fight your child stopped by standing up for the smaller kid – bonus points if this is the first you've heard about the incident

6. When they start showering every day without being asked (Note: In our house this happened in 9th grade for the girls, and sophomore year for the boys)

7. The first time they go in to school early, on their own initiative, to talk to a teacher about a grade

8. The first time they introduce you (without prompting) to someone else in public

9. The first time they go to work and the first time you see them at work

10. When they buy their first house

These are a few of the milestones I look for. What maturity milestones do you use?