The final hour before leaving home

vinceh
Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:34:32 +0000

This author is worrying about sending of her child a year in advance. With that much time she should be certifiable by Christmas. [Anticipating the Send-Off, Though It’s Still a Year Away - The Choice Blog - NYTimes.com](Anticipating the Send-Off, Though It's Still a Year Away - The New York Times)

Folks, I think it’s important to focus on the upside of all of this. Presumably you’ve raised your child for just this moment. You “built” them with what you feel is the right combination of openness and reluctance, of curiosity and doubt and of caution and fearlessness. You’ve done your job and now’s the time to let them loose on the world.

Five years ago I took our oldest to school; when I dropped him off we a range of separations, from a dad who merely unpacked two boxes and two bags on the sidewalk and drove off, to the father so distraught about leaving his daughter that his blubbering tears became an embarrassment for his daughter and his family, (frankly it was so bad the guy became an embarrassment to our entire species). My wife and I had our moments of sadness and tears, but looking back on it, it was because we were fearful of what we were losing, completely forgetting what we were gaining.

As I stood there giving my son the man-hug, (closed fists), I found myself a little misty but sporting a huge grin. My son asked what I was smiling about, I told him I was just so excited for everything about to come his way; I was actually a bit jealous and wished I could do it all again myself. Since then he has graduated, found a job in his field and traveled to parts of the world I need Google Earth to help me find. Yes our boy is gone, but every phone call reminds us that he’s turned into a great man; my wife and I are optimistic that when his younger brother leaves next fall that we’ll be able to remember that through the tears we’ll be shedding for ourselves.