Home for the holidays.....are things different?

ChoatieMom
Tue, 19 Nov 2013 10:52:59 +0000

Small miracle—CK has no final exams this term and is able to leave campus three days early for a nice, long Thanksgiving break. We’re all heading to Michigan to spend the holiday with family and watch U-M get killed by OSU. ChoatieDad and CK will be freezing their buns off in the Big House, while saner folks like me and my mom enjoy saner pastimes. I’m especially looking forward to the look on my brother’s face when he sees CK for the first time in three years; instead of looking down, he’ll have to look up, waaaay up. Ha!

This is our third year, and I can’t believe how much I miss my son, especially how I crave that first hug. First year, I missed him like crazy just because he was “gone” for the first time. Now I miss him like crazy because I realize he’s never permanently coming home again, and I cherish every single second I have with him, every second.

As for what’s different, we sent a child to BS almost three years ago; we welcome home a very confident, independent, engaged young man. I know I stare at him a lot and marvel at both the physical changes and the level of conversation that comes out of his mouth. If I weren’t looking at him, I could confuse him with my work colleagues (the better ones). He and his dad bend their heads together and don’t come up for air for hours. The bonding is deep, the conversation mercurial, and time non-existant. This is not a child. He has opinions and world views, some that ChoatieDad and I vehemently disagree with, but they are well-thought-out and provide fuel for very interesting, biting debate. Our arguments are no longer about messy rooms and unbrushed teeth, but about definitions of responsibility and honor, both personal and national. We listen to him ponder his place in the world and what he intends to change in it. We watch him try on various suits of thought, keeping what fits (for now) and casting off what pinches. He wears his BS education well. I’m looking forward to hearing his new thoughts, but mostly I just want to put my arms around him and never let him go.

Happy Thanksgiving, safe travels to all, and Go Blue!