Susan wasn’t the only O’Hara with a birthday last week. Last Friday, Morgan turned 14.

I turned 14 in 1987. Life were different back then, but not that different. When I think back to being 14, I think mostly about wanting to fit in. I don’t mean wanting to be like everybody else, but wanting to find people who were into the same things I was into. It was about finding people who liked the music I liked, the computer and video games I liked, and the movies I liked. There was a lot of trial and error — friendships that didn’t work out, and friends with whom I shared a couple of those interests but not all. And then I had friends like Andy, and Jeff, and Justin, people I shared all of those interests with, and, not coincidentally, people I’m still friends with today.

Even with advances in technology, I still see Morgan going through many of the same things. She has her school friends, her band friends, her Girl Scout friends, and some online friends. She may not be friends with some of these people next year, and she may still be friends with some of them in 30 years. As a parent, one of the most exciting and rewarding things is to watch your children develop their own personalities.

Tomorrow, Morgan is headed to camp for a week, where she will likely make new friends, and most definitely enjoy some temporary freedom away from her parents.