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When Molly, my oldest, was going off to college, people would say, “Don’t you have two others at home.” This response always surprised me probably just as much as my fretting over my first leaving the nest perplexed them. Yes, I had two younger children at home. At the time Kelly was fifteen and Jack was five. But so what?
Don’t get me wrong. I love my two underage children, my two who remain home. But I love all three of my children. They are not interchangeable. I have a mom and dad. If my dad passed, I couldn’t imagine anyone coming up to me and saying, “Well, you still have a mom, don’t you?”
Seeing Molly off to college was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Click here to read more about how I “coped” with her leaving and how I let go…sort of.
6th October, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Thank you for writing this. I can relate. When my daughter went off to college I also had a hard time adjusting. I found talking to other moms comforting.
6th October, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Michelle,
I love you. I think this illustrates the beauty, or should I say torture, of the female brain. Nurturing and empathy are ingrained in us – you especially. Keep writing, I’ll keep reading
8th October, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Michelle,
What a beautiful and sad story. I, like you, felt a terrible loss when my 1st born left for school. It seemed so unnatural for him to leave. Part of it made no sense to me at all, it is just what society tells us to do……. go OFF to college after high school. The Mother in all of us wants and sometimes needs to, hold on. It has been tough for my son also, and he will actually admit that being away is difficult. I found it interesting that you endured a lot of physical pain to counter balance the emotional pain you were having. It is all about finding the right balance. Thank you for sharing. Christine