Last week James, my son, turned 18. I tried to remember my 18th birthday, but for some reason it is all a fog. I remember 21, but 18 is a blur. I think it has something to do with growing older as I sometimes have a hard time remembering what I did yesterday, let alone a couple of decades ago.

Anyway, back to James turning 18. First, in my opinion, he is a great kid with all the hopes and dreams that an 18-year-old kid should have. It’s also an emotional time for me as a parent because I realize that the daily banter between us will be done by phone and only occasionally in person very soon.

He is looking at his options to further his education and, based on the flurry of activity in our household, he has been accepted at several colleges. As a parent, I want him to succeed and see the fruits of hard work. Continuing his education will help him achieve those goals.

But with his turning 18 comes some other realities. He is now registered with the armed services in the event there is a draft. We talk about that occasionally and discuss world politics. I am somewhat amazed at how aware an 18 year old is of what is happening in the Middle East and continue to press him to stay aware. In the unfortunate event that we have to take “persuasive action” against Iran, there will probably be a draft; an opinion I have shared with him.

We also talked about the unfortunate dilemma of high housing prices in Snoqualmie Valley. He has it in his mind that he does not want to make his home here. I’ll bet that is true for many high-school seniors. It was true for me but as a person starts a family, the realization that this is a great place to live lures us back.

The unfortunate part of that realization now is high housing prices. Sadly, it’s doubtful that James will be able to afford to raise a family in Snoqualmie Valley. Our housing prices are quickly becoming out of reach for those grasping at the “American Dream” and we have to thank the Growth Management Act for this dilemma.

Our state, and specifically King County, has done nothing to allow current high-school seniors a chance to return, with their families, to the community in which they grew up. Adding affordable housing plans to planned unit developments or allowing denser zoning in residential areas with affordable housing does not address the problem. People in general want to purchase their home without subsidies.

Continuing to band-aid the problem by forcing affordable housing into development plans does nothing for long-term affordability. True affordability happens when the supply of houses matches or slightly outpaces the demand for houses.

But affordability is a systemic problem with growth management. Last week, I met with our local state representative Jay Rodne and echoed these concerns. He mentioned that it is time for a blue-ribbon panel to really study the Growth Management Act and see if it is meeting its original goals. The panel would need to be very objective, and to this point my impression is that county and local governments have way too much latitude in interpretation.

So if you have a vested interest in seeing our children have the opportunity to live in this Valley we love, urge your elected officials to take a look at the Growth Management Act. It’s time to identify and fix the problems it has created with housing affordability.

James, congratulations on turning 18. Set your sights high, you have a lot of opportunities in front of you.