The Send Off

This week our older daughter, Alyssa, returned to her Engineering Science studies at Penn State University. She lives off campus in a nice little apartment where each tenant has their own room and bathroom. The tenants share common spaces that include a living room, kitchen and laundry room. The rumors are true about how some college students live... In fact, they are worse. That is not what today's post is about however; today's post is about reveling in the awesomeness of our children.

As a parent, you do the best you can. You work hard. You try to teach "right" from "wrong." You try to teach your child/children to embrace their imagination, new experiences and to be open-minded. Your greatest hope is your child/children will mature into kind, responsible and fun adults. Sounds easy enough... Right? Well, parenting is is two things, work and worry. Neither is "easy" and never stops.

I am a grown woman and speak with my mother, Ellen, most every day. She knows the ins and outs of my life and our children's lives. She is my dearest friend and trusted confidant. She over steps now and again but what parent doesn't make a mistake here and there. None parents that's who. We as parents seem to forget something key about being a parent, we are HUMAN!

When our children are young they see us a "Super Heroes." The person who can make a castle out of blankets and sofa cushions. The person who can make the "hurt" stop or squelch a bad dream. As our children grow into adolescence, we, as parents, go from Super Hero to Enemy. We morph, seemingly overnight into the destroyer of ALL things fun! We possess all the power of one little magic word, "no." Finally adolescence passes and you and your child/children enter into their adulthood. With this journey comes new definitions of what your relationship is. You will always be their parent but your sword and shield are put away and you expect them to stand on their own two feet (not your toes) and conquer their own "battles" and seek out their destiny.

As we pack up our children and send them off to school (be it elementary, middle, high school or college) remember, they need to go just as much as you need to to let them...