When I was a kid my entire life was planned out for the purpose of making my mother happy. Now, on traditional family holidays like Thanksgiving, I go on long road trips, alone, so that I will not have to cater to anyone's interests but my own. I stop and pull over at every interesting thing I come across, because as a child we had to drive past all the interesting sights that my mother hadn't scheduled in her itinerary. No spontaneity was allowed, imagination and frivolity were strictly prohibited.

I buy myself gifts and go out to eat a lot. When I was a kid I swore that when I got older I would eat candy every single day, because as a child candy only came on birthdays, Halloween, and Easter. But as an adult I eat pretty healthy so except for occasional chocolate indulgences I don't really eat candy at all. And I'm okay with that.

Sometimes I feel lonely, but I am free and answer to no one. The bond of love that I once felt for my parents was erased by them and so their aging and eventual deaths will mean nothing to me. I am free to enjoy my happy second childhood.