Editor's note: Barry Courter has a 25-year-old son who is a college graduate and a 20-year-old daughter who is a junior in college.
Q: Dad, do you remember the event or moment when you felt truly independent or grown up?
A: Yes. I was 19 and living in an apartment. I was at the grocery store buying supplies and it suddenly occurred to me I could buy any type of toilet paper I wanted. I didn't have to ask anyone else's opinion, or get the "house" brand. It was an a-ha moment for sure.