Cross posting
My baby’s gone.
Current mood: sad
Category: Life
Erin's gone, again. Back to Bishops for her last year. I should be rejoicing because this is the last time we'll be moving her out, but that's not true. She left home the day she moved into residence. Since that first year she's lived in a dorm, a house, an apartment, and now a house again. She's learned how to pay her own bills, look after herself, and be independant. When she comes home she comes as a (semi) independant young woman. Our house is a stop-over now.
She has friends that wouldn't even consider moving out. They'll stay home until they get married, or get a job out of town. Why would they leave the easy life? But Erin's been striving for independance since the minute she was born. I remember sitting on the edge of my bed one evening, sobbing, because she didn't need me anymore. She was two. My husband thought I was nuts, patted me on the back, and reminded me that all girls need their mother. Uh huh.
She loves travelling. Her grade 11 trip to Europe was the highlight of her life. She came home convinced she would live in Paris one day, and still believes it. Being bilingual helps. The grade 12 theatre trip to NYC was 'awesome' and spending a week there with a friend, a few years later, solidified her desire to live there as well. She was heartbroken when the grade 11 exchange to Costa Rica didn't happen for her school, but at least we had the extremely cheerful Ricos here for two weeks. They brought sunlight to one of our coldest winters ever.
*Sidenote* I volunteered to take them to the Metro Zoo. It was the coldest day in years, and even though the students were ill-prepared for the weather, I've never enjoyed the Zoo more. They smiled, and laughed the whole time! Good times!
The week before she left was strange. She was stressed about going back, after being away for the fall semester, yet thrilled at the same time. It was a week of bitching, and laughing. I had a hard time keeping up, and it was with a tiny note of relief that I waved goodbye as she and her Dad pulled out of the driveway. Relief tainted with tears.
The first time we left her in Sherbrooke/Lennoxville she couldn't get rid of us fast enough. She was eager to start all her frosh activities, to get involved, to be a real university student. I sobbed all the way to Kingston, and for those of you who don't know the trip, that's about 3 hours of tears. I was depressed for months, and cleaned my house from top to bottom.
The second time, I was a little sad, but fine. That is until I saw the picture we took of her standing on the porch of her new house, with tears in her eyes. The house soon sparkled again. The third time we moved her into a total hippie pad (so not her), and I was so surprised and taken by the decor that it was with a smile that I drove away.
It's just as well I didn't go down with Erin and her Dad this time. The knowledge that this would be the last moving trip to the Eastern Townships would have been too depressing. I am looking forward to going down to see her in the play in March, and I'm planning a Mom's Day trip to do some sightseeing with her. But the trip to pick her up, and bring her home with all her belongings is going to be tough too. It will signal the next step for her, and she has plans to move out ASAP. It's one thing to be out of the loop when she's living in another province, but when she's living in Toronto and I'm no longer part of her life, that'll be really hard.
So...this is what happens when you raise your children to be independant adults. Whether you meant to or not. ;-) They leave home. They follow their dreams. They grow strong, and become citizens of the world. *cue the Rocky theme*
I think I see a dust bunny lurking.
Current mood: sad
Category: Life
Erin's gone, again. Back to Bishops for her last year. I should be rejoicing because this is the last time we'll be moving her out, but that's not true. She left home the day she moved into residence. Since that first year she's lived in a dorm, a house, an apartment, and now a house again. She's learned how to pay her own bills, look after herself, and be independant. When she comes home she comes as a (semi) independant young woman. Our house is a stop-over now.
She has friends that wouldn't even consider moving out. They'll stay home until they get married, or get a job out of town. Why would they leave the easy life? But Erin's been striving for independance since the minute she was born. I remember sitting on the edge of my bed one evening, sobbing, because she didn't need me anymore. She was two. My husband thought I was nuts, patted me on the back, and reminded me that all girls need their mother. Uh huh.
She loves travelling. Her grade 11 trip to Europe was the highlight of her life. She came home convinced she would live in Paris one day, and still believes it. Being bilingual helps. The grade 12 theatre trip to NYC was 'awesome' and spending a week there with a friend, a few years later, solidified her desire to live there as well. She was heartbroken when the grade 11 exchange to Costa Rica didn't happen for her school, but at least we had the extremely cheerful Ricos here for two weeks. They brought sunlight to one of our coldest winters ever.
*Sidenote* I volunteered to take them to the Metro Zoo. It was the coldest day in years, and even though the students were ill-prepared for the weather, I've never enjoyed the Zoo more. They smiled, and laughed the whole time! Good times!
The week before she left was strange. She was stressed about going back, after being away for the fall semester, yet thrilled at the same time. It was a week of bitching, and laughing. I had a hard time keeping up, and it was with a tiny note of relief that I waved goodbye as she and her Dad pulled out of the driveway. Relief tainted with tears.
The first time we left her in Sherbrooke/Lennoxville she couldn't get rid of us fast enough. She was eager to start all her frosh activities, to get involved, to be a real university student. I sobbed all the way to Kingston, and for those of you who don't know the trip, that's about 3 hours of tears. I was depressed for months, and cleaned my house from top to bottom.
The second time, I was a little sad, but fine. That is until I saw the picture we took of her standing on the porch of her new house, with tears in her eyes. The house soon sparkled again. The third time we moved her into a total hippie pad (so not her), and I was so surprised and taken by the decor that it was with a smile that I drove away.
It's just as well I didn't go down with Erin and her Dad this time. The knowledge that this would be the last moving trip to the Eastern Townships would have been too depressing. I am looking forward to going down to see her in the play in March, and I'm planning a Mom's Day trip to do some sightseeing with her. But the trip to pick her up, and bring her home with all her belongings is going to be tough too. It will signal the next step for her, and she has plans to move out ASAP. It's one thing to be out of the loop when she's living in another province, but when she's living in Toronto and I'm no longer part of her life, that'll be really hard.
So...this is what happens when you raise your children to be independant adults. Whether you meant to or not. ;-) They leave home. They follow their dreams. They grow strong, and become citizens of the world. *cue the Rocky theme*
I think I see a dust bunny lurking.