When the baby bird leaves the nest...it's ok to melt down and drink lots of wine....
As I sit here and look at all of the people posting pictures of their kids going off to college and how sad they are, I remember when I did that very same thing. I remember all of the milestones, all of the firsts, and how there aren't going to be as many firsts anymore.
The first day of kindergarten when you swear they are too small to be left alone with these huge kids and all of the teachers and omg why can't they just stay home another year? I mean, we don't need electricity right???
The first day of middle school when you realize they're big kids but NOT TOO BIG OMG THOSE 8TH GRADERS ARE HUGE STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY BABY!!!
Their first heartbreak.... I still stand by wanting to fight a second grader when she broke my baby's heart. But I digress.....
The first day of high school where you flash back to the first day of middle school and think that your kid is WAY too tiny to be in this giant school and what if they get lost going from class to class and how in the hell are they going to handle everything please lord can I come have lunch with them still it won't be too weird will it??
The day you drop them off at college.....OH FOR GOD'S SAKE WHY DO I HAVE TO RELIVE THIS PAIN AND AGONY OF MY CHILD NOT LIVING AT HOME ANYMORE..... When I dropped my daughter off at Elon University for the first time 3 years ago, I did good. I held it together. We got her unpacked and unloaded, got her room decorated....I said my goodbyes....I didn't cry... Until I got in the car. I sat in the parking lot of Kivette Hall and cried for a solid hour. I stared at the building my child would be living in and wondered how in the hell I was going to leave a piece of my heart behind. When we left to drive up that day, her brother refused to go with us. He couldn't watch her leave. He couldn't leave her behind. He cried as we pulled out of the driveway and my heart shattered. We finally got on the road and came back home....and I walked in the house and I felt the silence. I felt empty. The whole house felt foreign. I trudged up to her room and there on the bed was her dog. He knew she was gone. He sat on her bed, head on his paws, staring out her window waiting for her to come back. Every day for 2 weeks that is where I found him. WHY ARE DOGS SO PURE?????
But when she came home for the first break and left again, it got easier. Then home for Christmas and back..easier still. Spring break? Piece of cake. And by the time we went back up there to pack all her crap up and bring her back home for the summer? Lord Jesus Help me a part of me wished she didn't have to move back because how in the hell did we get all this stuff up here in the first place and where did it all come from and where in the hell are we going to store it???
3 years later we are facing another first. In 11 days I will be dropping my baby off at the airport for her first international flight. Her first time leaving the country. Her first time not being able to come home when she gets the urge. The first time I can't just jump in the car to go see her for the weekend. They don't even let you go to the gate anymore if you don't have a ticket so I will have to walk her to security and let her go. 4 months. That's how long she'll be gone. 4 months. It's not that long, but right now, waiting for it to start, seems like forever. But she'll come back with a whole set of firsts of her own. And that is what matters.
My bonus daughter is moving into NC State today. Her mom isn't dealing with that first very well either. I told her that I could relate and we could cry on each other's shoulders when she gets back. She doesn't have another one at home but I do...and his first will be coming soon enough. At that time, I will probably need to be sedated in some form as he is my last one at home...but I know that in time, I'll be ok.
My job is to get them ready for these firsts. So that they can fly out of the nest and make their own. So that they are comfortable navigating the world around them. So that they have the tools they need to not only succeed, but to surpass my wildest dreams for them. And they know that the mama bird will always be here. That the nest will always be a safe spot for them to land if they need to.
So to all you mamas out there getting ready to send your baby birds out of the nest? Know that you did a hell of a job getting them ready to fly, and that your greatest accomplishment will be watching them soar.
The first day of kindergarten when you swear they are too small to be left alone with these huge kids and all of the teachers and omg why can't they just stay home another year? I mean, we don't need electricity right???
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| Kindergarten Graduation... I CAN'T EVEN WITH THIS. |
The first day of middle school when you realize they're big kids but NOT TOO BIG OMG THOSE 8TH GRADERS ARE HUGE STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY BABY!!!
 |
| 8th and 5th Grade Graduations....little did I know... |
Their first heartbreak.... I still stand by wanting to fight a second grader when she broke my baby's heart. But I digress.....
The first day of high school where you flash back to the first day of middle school and think that your kid is WAY too tiny to be in this giant school and what if they get lost going from class to class and how in the hell are they going to handle everything please lord can I come have lunch with them still it won't be too weird will it??
The day you drop them off at college.....OH FOR GOD'S SAKE WHY DO I HAVE TO RELIVE THIS PAIN AND AGONY OF MY CHILD NOT LIVING AT HOME ANYMORE..... When I dropped my daughter off at Elon University for the first time 3 years ago, I did good. I held it together. We got her unpacked and unloaded, got her room decorated....I said my goodbyes....I didn't cry... Until I got in the car. I sat in the parking lot of Kivette Hall and cried for a solid hour. I stared at the building my child would be living in and wondered how in the hell I was going to leave a piece of my heart behind. When we left to drive up that day, her brother refused to go with us. He couldn't watch her leave. He couldn't leave her behind. He cried as we pulled out of the driveway and my heart shattered. We finally got on the road and came back home....and I walked in the house and I felt the silence. I felt empty. The whole house felt foreign. I trudged up to her room and there on the bed was her dog. He knew she was gone. He sat on her bed, head on his paws, staring out her window waiting for her to come back. Every day for 2 weeks that is where I found him. WHY ARE DOGS SO PURE?????
 |
| The first day of college.....cue the tears... |
But when she came home for the first break and left again, it got easier. Then home for Christmas and back..easier still. Spring break? Piece of cake. And by the time we went back up there to pack all her crap up and bring her back home for the summer? Lord Jesus Help me a part of me wished she didn't have to move back because how in the hell did we get all this stuff up here in the first place and where did it all come from and where in the hell are we going to store it???
3 years later we are facing another first. In 11 days I will be dropping my baby off at the airport for her first international flight. Her first time leaving the country. Her first time not being able to come home when she gets the urge. The first time I can't just jump in the car to go see her for the weekend. They don't even let you go to the gate anymore if you don't have a ticket so I will have to walk her to security and let her go. 4 months. That's how long she'll be gone. 4 months. It's not that long, but right now, waiting for it to start, seems like forever. But she'll come back with a whole set of firsts of her own. And that is what matters.
My bonus daughter is moving into NC State today. Her mom isn't dealing with that first very well either. I told her that I could relate and we could cry on each other's shoulders when she gets back. She doesn't have another one at home but I do...and his first will be coming soon enough. At that time, I will probably need to be sedated in some form as he is my last one at home...but I know that in time, I'll be ok.
My job is to get them ready for these firsts. So that they can fly out of the nest and make their own. So that they are comfortable navigating the world around them. So that they have the tools they need to not only succeed, but to surpass my wildest dreams for them. And they know that the mama bird will always be here. That the nest will always be a safe spot for them to land if they need to.
So to all you mamas out there getting ready to send your baby birds out of the nest? Know that you did a hell of a job getting them ready to fly, and that your greatest accomplishment will be watching them soar.
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