A Birthday to Remember
Why one birthday adventure reminded us to embrace the wild side of life.
A few years ago for Breaker’s 18th birthday, we decided to surprise him with a thrill he’d never forget: a chance to jump out of a plane. For those of you that know Breaker, realize it’s the perfect birthday gift for him. On the day of the jump, we told Breaker to wear something casual—nothing too fancy for this adventure. He is always about great style, so we wanted to make sure his look didn’t interfere with his safety. About 10 minutes from the airfield, we handed him a birthday card with all the jump details inside. His reaction? Priceless. Tallulah immediately called dibs on going first, while Bellamy decided she’d sit this one out. Wolfgang and I? Totally in. Thanks to his younger siblings for keeping it a secret and for understanding they weren't old enough yet to join us.
We went through the safety drills, met our jump partners, and walked to the plane. Wolfgang’s guy had a neck tattoo that said “Born to Fly,” so we knew he was with someone who took this seriously (or at least looked the part). I tried making small talk with my jump partner: “So, how many jumps do you do in a day?” He grinned and said, “Anywhere from 8 to 12—and then we party all night.” I immediately panicked and thought, Wait, are you hungover?!
But once we were on the plane, all that anxiety turned into pure excitement. As we climbed higher and higher, I looked around at my kids, then out the window, thinking, This is crazy, but it’s crazy awesome. The adrenaline kept pumping as they opened the hatch. Suddenly, in what felt like a split second, Tallulah and her partner were at the edge. She looked back, waved, and then—poof—she was gone. My first thought? Holy shit, there goes my daughter! One after another, I watched my kids disappear into the sky. And there I was, thinking, What have we done? What have I done? I’m their mother—I’m supposed to protect them!
Then it was my turn. My heart was pounding, my throat was dry, and I had that split-second thought of, what if I just stayed on this plane? But then I stepped off the edge into the wind, and boom—the adrenaline hit like nothing else. The view was unreal, the world so vast and beautiful from up there. It was that wild mix of fear and pure joy. Can those things even happen at the same time? We were flying fast, then pulling the cord and floating down slowly—what a rush! And just like that, I hit the ground, teared up, and saw three of my kids standing there, alive, smiling, and shouting, “Let’s do it again!” And I thought, Wow, I can’t wait to do this with Five, Holleder, and Major someday. Who’s in?
There are so many ways to seek adventure, to capture that adrenaline rush. Being a thrill-seeker can be a great thing, I’ve always been one and I have a few kids that sure are too. Being called Wild is that so bad? I’ll admit maneuvering adventures for myself and pushing the limits for me is a lot easier than for my kids. Parenting a thrill-seeker is tough and especially as they head off to college and into the world it seems to be with added worry. Did I teach them healthy thrill-seeking? Robert and I bungee jumped together on one of our first dates, just like the perfect gift for Breaker that was a dream date for me. I hope to find peace with the Wild ones, after all I am one. Perhaps you are one as well or happen to love one, if so my wish is for us to embrace it, because life is a thrill! And seriously, if you’ve ever thought about skydiving, just do it. Aren’t we all born to fly… or is that just the birds?
