Over the weekend, we loaded up the family minivan and my daughter's car (a car that used to be mine...) and we drove an hour south. When we arrived at our destination, we unloaded the vehicles and only one car made the trip back.
Such is life.
Such is change.
When you get married and the kids come along, you remember how it was like growing up, learning things, even moving out to start your own adventures. You remember being both exciting and nervous making that first big move, the one where you will not be sleeping in the room and bed where you've slept for years. You'll not be surrounded by the same people, but by new people.
When you have kids, you remember those times. But what you don't remember--and what people will usually not tell you about--is how those left behind feel. Yes, we lived through it as kids, but never as parents.
It's a different feeling.
My daughter began at a new school today. For those of us at home, the day was pretty much like so many other days. We got up, we went to work/school. We finished, had dinner, and now things are winding down. Soon, we'll be asleep and the whole thing begins anew in a few hours.
This morning, my daughter drove to a new school, attended classes with total strangers in buildings and classrooms she's never been in before. The day was so different in so many ways.
As parents, we're excited, nervous, and a little sad not having her around. But, we know these are the things that will make the memories that define her, that shape her, that mold her and help make her the person she is becoming. They're important and worth the sacrifice. Our daughter's only a short car ride or train ride away--she's not halfway around the world like some children. Yes, kids leaving is part of the plan, a plan I thought I knew about, but only knew half the story.
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