My kids are growing up.
And I am getting left Home Alone. For 17 years I have been playmate, chauffeur, and constant companion to my three children. With a few exceptions, where they went I went. Where they played, I played. What they experienced, I experienced.
All that changed this summer.
My daughter got her driver's license. Her friends drive. Her boyfriend drives. The pool, the rec center, amusement parks, lunches, dinners, the mall - all places my kids go without me now. Friends are their companions. Mom has been replaced. This is a good thing. I know this.
But it basically sucks - for me.
Now I get filled in after the fact instead of experiencing first hand. Now I send texts to touch base instead of reaching out for hand to hold. Now I pray for their safety instead of making sure they are buckled up.
Now I sit home alone.
They say letting go is a process but it felt sort of all-at-once for me this summer. And this is only the beginning.
