Riiiight, and I am bold and beautiful . I think it's great that you are able to experience these feelings of contentment and GROWTH (cooking, etc) within your family circle and everybody is cool with it. They must give you room to grow. Parenting is more than just saying no. It's supporting the young person taking his wobbly first steps into adulthood. That contentment is the self-satisfied smile of the two-year-old taking his first steps, it is a life-changing moment - you are king (queen) of the world! And each accomplishment will build on the next. Keep track of some of them, you will enjoy looking back to see how far you've come.