The Crosby Chronicles: My little boy is becoming a man

A while back I wrote about a rite of passage I went through when my wife began earning more money than me. Now, I’m dealing with another stage of life. It’s official — my oldest son is taller than me.

The little boy who I used to feed bottles of milk and Gerber applesauce is spurting up. (I guess milk does do a body good.) Actually, I’m glad he is taller than me because I’m not tall to begin with. And while I don’t think I’ve dealt with height discrimination, it’s been my experience that taller people in our society have advantages, rightfully or wrongfully.

People tend to look up not just literally but figuratively to people who are six feet and taller. In certain occupations, a taller person may win a job over a smaller person. Obviously, height is key to being successful in basketball. It also helps to reach light bulbs and spiders in the upper reaches of a wall.

As a father, he is bigger than me so spanking is out of the question (not that it was ever part of the question). When he hugs me (thank goodness he still does), he has to awkwardly bend down his head. I suppose he doesn’t want to intimidate me.

Oh, did I mention his voice is getting deeper than mine as well? My little boy is now becoming a man. Something that I knew was coming, something that I knew was inevitable, yet something I did not want to happen for I would love 20 more years of the little kid who used to rest on my shoulders.

BRIAN CROSBY is a teacher in the Glendale Unified School District and the author of “Smart Kids, Bad Schools and The $100,000 Teacher.” He can be reached at brian-crosby.com.