I'm sure it happened long before then, but it was a crystallizing moment nonetheless.
It was a few weeks back and we were getting our shoes and jackets on to head out the door. Blackberry in hand, my wife turned to our 14-year-old son and asked him to download some music so she could have a cool ring tone on her phone.
It was far from earth shattering, but it dawned on me at that point that a bit of traffic is finally starting to go the other way.
For most of the last 14 years, the relationship we've had with our son has essentially been a one-way street. As it is for all parents, we are the ones that must explain everything, from tying shoes to riding a bike to why it's OK for dad to have a Coke Zero at dinner when others at the table must drink milk.
The flow of information has been decidedly one sided because he didn't know a lot, and what he did, wasn't of a whole lot of use. There was absolutely no value in knowing that Jeff is the one in the purple shirt in The Wiggles or that Cody is more mature than his twin brother Zack.
But lately, the information he's able to dispense is becoming far more beneficial.
About a week ago as my wife was getting ready to go on the treadmill, she called out to our son to fix her iPod, which was playing the same song over and over again. He might well have caused the malfunction in the first place, but at least now he's able to rectify it.
Barely into his teen years, there's still much more parenting to be done, but I get the feeling that we'll increasingly be turning to him on certain matters, particularly those that relate to technology.
It's not that we're idiots - at least my wife isn't - but there's something to be said for how a young brain instinctually knows what to do with the wired and wireless devices we've come to rely on in our everyday lives. Throw in the fact it's all they've ever known and what seems mystifying to many of a different era is second nature to the younger generation.
That's not to say they've got everything figured out as teens still know diddly when it comes to so many things, including where the laundry hamper resides in their room. They're still inclined to turn to mom and dad for money, food, rides and good ol' parental advice.
So I'm under no illusions the traffic flow will suddenly turn and the volume will be equal in both directions, however, I'm beginning to see signs every now and then he just might earn his keep.
