| |
|
|
|
|
MOM NOTES
September 2007
Give Them Wings
It is finally happening. I am sending Brittany, my youngest
child, off to school for the very last time. After raising
four children, this is a very sad time for me. Although she
is 22 years old and a senior in college entering her final
semester, she will always be my baby.
Like many college students, Brittany changed her major
during her college career, so that instead of graduating
with many of her classmates last May, she has one class to
finish this semester before receiving her degree. She will
graduate with a dual major, if that is any consolation. It
was disappointing that one single class added an entire
semester to her regular four years. However, since the
average college term has become 5.5 years so she is still
ahead of the norm.
Being the youngest of four, Brittany has had to endure so
many “last times” that she is starting to get used to it.
She was the last to start school, the last to be on a
varsity team, the last to start driving, and the last to go
off to college. I have to give her credit; she has handled
it very well. In fact, she is a wonderful and well-balanced
young woman. I am extremely proud to be her mother.
This said, I am still very sad to see her go and to loose
the pleasure of helping her grow up. I have always heard
that letting go was the hardest part of parenting. It really
is true and I struggle every day to let go.
As parents we don’t want to give our kids too much freedom
for fear they will not be able to handle it, but yet we want
to give them enough freedom so that they can test their
wings. Children need our guidance and they seek boundaries
all time. In fact, I have told my children on many (too
many) occasions that they were doing a great job of being
kids. Their job is to test the boundaries. They did that
with gusto. But I always had to do my job, set those
boundaries and enforce the guidelines.
On Brittany’s first “First” day of school, when she started
kindergarten, I lingered in the hallway and listened as her
teacher showed her where her cubby was and introduced her to
other kindergarteners. Many tears rolled down my cheeks as I
heard my little girl ask the teacher, “Will we learn how to
read today?” She was ready to go and could not wait to learn
it all.
As we ate warm chocolate chip cookies that afternoon (a
first day of school tradition) she told me it was
disappointing that they did not teach her to read that day,
but she enjoyed everything else and liked her teacher. It
was a great beginning to a wonderful academic career for
Brittany.
Now she is a young woman. When she starts school this fall,
I won’t be able to linger behind the door in the hall and
hear her first words. But I will shed my annual first day of
school tears just the same as I think about her and all of
her other first days of school. Her wings are grown and they
are ready to take her soaring to the clouds or where ever
she wants to go. I’m so proud of her. And a little sad for
me.
In keeping with our first day of school tradition, I will
send her a box of cookies. Although they will not be warm
out of the oven, they will have all my love and
encouragement.
Fly away and be happy, Brittany. I love you, Mom
|
|
