<p>I say: “I miss my little boy.” They say: “He’s not a little boy, he’s a man.”</p>
<p>I say “You don’t understand.”</p>
<p>I miss my “little boy . . .” (AKA my heart walking around on two legs.)</p>
<p>I think little boys become teenagers so we can bear- even want- to let them go. Son nicer and appreciates us more now that he is independent financially as well as in spirit.</p>
<p>I’m with mamabear1234. I enjoyed every stage with my kids (except the brief eye-rolling stage – on both our parts). I’m ready for my kids to move on to more independent lives. I’m also moving on to new adventures – starting grad school this month.</p>
<p>I didn’t feel like the sun; my kids were the suns.</p>
<p>Two of mine have had obstacles to leaving from health issues, and both are now in college. I miss them, but in that context, I am so happy they were able to leave, and pray they are able to stay away.</p>
<p>I curled up in a ball for a few days, watching bad tv, and emerged a lot more quickly than I thought. It’s been two weeks, and I am surprised and relieved to say that I am already busy.</p>
<p>It was a sweet article. For me, the being the sun part was over long ago. I was a stay at home Mom for all those growing up years when they really needed me. Toward mid to end of h.s. it was obvious that they were pulling away and we granted them that leeway. By the time they left for college, DH and I were pretty used to them operating in their own solar system. As someone else wrote, I do sometimes miss those little boys they used to be.</p>
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<p>The sad part is that I recognized the essay immediately and quickly realized that it must have been on CC because that is my only source for all things related to parenting.</p>