1 Day

1 Day 

The drive down was non eventful—which was good. There was a point where you fell asleep, which is what you always do on long car rides, and I almost lost it, wondering if it was the last time I would ever see you do that again. Luckily, I pulled myself together. Your sibling was playing Taylor Swift and I wasn’t paying too much attention and then “Never Grow Up” came on, and I was like: not today, Satan! Another crisis averted. 

As we entered the town where your school is, your roommates, who had done the pre-orientation program called. They invited you to swing by the room to check it out. When we arrived, we realized that pictures lie and the room was much smaller than we thought. In order to fit everyone, one of the roommates basically had her bed up against the closet, rendering the closet unusable. The three of you had to negotiate how to set up the room so that everyone could have some space. There were a few touchy moments where everyone was trying to advocate for themselves while still trying to be fair to one another. It was interesting to see the dynamics at play and at one-point things were not progressing and I couldn’t help myself, I had to step in. Once that happened, things progressed, but your roommates both were comfortable admitting that the start of things had been stressful and it was hard to adjust to a new life without your family always there. Even though I too am sad and adjusting, this moment wasn’t about me, and I was able to put all my focus on the kids. I hugged them and told them as a representative of all the parents, we are so proud of them. I said that this is a hard time because we all love you so much, but none of us would be here if we didn’t think it was a great opportunity and that they would be well cared for. Once we left the dorm, I replayed my words and thought about how true they are. 

At dinner we went around the table talking about the day’s events and I said that even though it was a bit stressful meeting the roommates and immediately having to negotiate a potential conflict, I found that my anxiety about tomorrow had come way down. A lot of my thinking about what would happen when you went to college was about you getting there and magically becoming 100% independent and no longer needing me. Seeing everyone be vulnerable helped me to trust that the things I know about you, and about kids are still true; every kid needs to know that they have someone in their corner. And no matter if that corner is in the same house, or town, or state, I am always here.

2 Days

2 Days till departure 

The car is packed and believe it or not,  we have room to spare. This is a testament to who you are, a person who choses quality over quantity, and operates from the perspective of less is more. I am so curious to see if that point of view will change at college. Obviously, there are going to be some shifts, after all, that is a natural part of growing up. But where will these shifts occur? What new ideas are you about to be exposed to, and what new ways of thinking and being are you going to explore? 

I got a gift tonight from a dear friend, it was a bookmark with the perfect message. “There are two gifts we should give our children: One is roots and the other is wings.” 

Tomorrow, we drive and Wednesday, you begin to soar.

3 Days

3 Days till departure 

Today you spent the day packing while different family and friends came by to say goodbye. You talked with people about your classes and everyone, including you, seemed really interested in your courses. We had a fun moment when you checked your email and saw that a professor had assigned a 37 page reading for a meeting that you will be having during orientation, and you were like, “I have to read all of this for day one?!!” 

At your college the students, including your two roommates, who are doing the pre-orientation program moved in today. Your roommates reached out to you to show you pictures of what will be your room as they moved in, and they checked in with you to make sure the decisions being made were comfortable for you. I went onto the parent page for your college and there was not one single negative sentiment expressed. People were writing with their appreciation for how well the day was organized and how smooth the transition was into the dorms. One parent wrote that they really appreciated the welcome address from all the administrators and it was obvious how much respect and care the school has for their students. I told you that in a world where it is so easy to go on social media to complain it made me feel good that your school seems to always be praised. 

As much as I am not ready to let you go, I have to admit that I have a really good feeling that you are going to a place that will do right by you.

4 Days

4 Days till Departure 

Every summer the family gets together for movie night, and we all agree it is one of the highlights of the summer. Tonight the relatives were gathered and we all talked about how much growth you are going to have this year, how good it is that you will have some independence, how proud we all are of you. Because this was the 20th anniversary movie night, we had the red carpet, swag bags, and even an usher to carry our things into the party. Spirits were high, the pool was warm, and as always, the food was delicious and plentiful. This year for the 20th anniversary, instead of our usual Casper cartoon to start things off, we had a slideshow of all the pictures from the past 20 years. It was so great to remember all the different movies and see how we all had grown and changed over the years. Rather than feeling nostalgic at watching the pictures of you growing over the years, I was just so happy to belong to a family that celebrates togetherness…then the movie started. 

Take it from me, “If” is not the movie you want to watch right before your kid goes to college. And just to save you the trouble, don’t read “Love You Forever,” either!

5 days

5 Days till Departure 

 

A lot of people have been checking in with me knowing that we are about to have this momentous event in our lives. Every time I am asked, I think I am honest about how I am feeling. If it is a moment that I am struggling, I admit it, and if it is a moment when I am feeling excited about the future, I share. 

I had two people say to me today that they appreciated that I spoke about this journey, as not a lot of people talk about how much they feel like this is a tremendous loss which should be grieved. I know what they mean and I am glad for the compliment, but when I heard that today I wondered if I am really being totally truthful. 

I read an article recently about how mothers and their children are tightly bonded because cells from one another’s body are transferred in utero and stored in one another’s brains. There are so many times when I can rationalize what is about to happen, and I truly know that everything is okay, but my body still behaves as though it is in trauma mode. The idea that you are not just a part of me because we are a family but in fact it is because an actual physical piece of you is still residing in me, makes a lot of sense. Thinking that this upset is a biological response and that I am programed to feel this way, makes it so much easier to understand why this is so overwhelming. Now if someone can just send me the article that explains how grieving the passage of time, especially when it comes to your children is good for your health, then I think I will be able to go back to things feeling okay.

6 days

6 Days till Departure 

From the moment you were born I have prayed that you would be healthy and happy, but always in the back of my mind was the extra prayer that someday the world would be as fair for you as it would be had you been born a boy. With the speech at tonight’s DNC, I am seeing my prayers answered.

7 days

7 Days till departure 

For whatever reason, Dad had the television on and they were playing Disney’s The Fox and The Hound. It just was at the part where Todd and Copper have grown up and are seeing each other for the first time. Copper is now a hunting dog and his owner tries to shoot Todd. In order for Todd to have a safe life his owner drops him off at a nature preserve. He is a fox after all and he is supposed to live outside in nature, but because he has been inside his whole life he is not used to things and he really doesn’t have the skill set to take care of himself at first. His first night on his own it rains and he doesn’t have shelter. Luckily a porcupine takes him in, but not before he gets soaked and we have to see him cold and wet and suffering. 

You walked by, and I asked you if you knew enough to get out of the rain, because I won’t be there to get you or tell you, and you reminded me that has already happened to you. You then recalled a time in middle school when you were at a game at the fields and it started to rain and everyone left, even the coaches, and they forgot to check if all the kids got picked up. 

 I have been sad all day and torturing myself with images of you crying in the rain, but as I started to write I remembered two things. One, until you reminded me about the middle school thing, I had forgotten about it so I can admit that even though you were alone in the rain, it clearly didn’t upset me enough to dwell on it, and two, in The Fox and The Hound, Todd is only sad for the first night, as first thing in the morning he meets Vixey and they live happily ever after. (wink, wink)