Letting Go. Trusting Our Children.

Also my contribution to Sundays In My City over at Unknown Mami’s.

There are some events in life that will surely test your will, your strength, and your confidence.  Sending your child off to college is surely one of them.  I have three kids, two of them (both daughters) are now college students.  The first one is only 30 minutes from home, but the second one is now 6 hours away.

For years now I’ve known that one of my daughters would spread her wings and go off to college out of state.  I was okay with that.  To me, it wasn’t scary, but rather exciting.  I always contended the whole idea didn’t bother me at all.   We left at 5am in complete darkness and watched a rather uneventful sunrise with no colorful fanfare while crossing the OH and PA border.  She slept pretty much the whole way except for bathroom breaks.  This kid could sleep through Armageddon.

Syracuse University has a great check in process that makes it very smooth for the families, including an orderly line – leading eventually to a curbside pick up (and delivery to the room) of the students belongings.  We also met her roommate who thankfully appears nice and normal… and her parents, with whom we shared an awesome campus meal.

Syracuse University is a beautiful campus with a mix of old and new buildings.  Breathtaking views of city abound!

It didn’t hit me until we gave her a kiss and hug goodbye… I am actually leaving my daughter 6 hours from home.  This isn’t a sleepover… I am actually leaving my kid in another State.  Thoughts swirled around in my head on the drive home.  Paul Simon’s Mother and Child Reunion played on the radio.  For 18 years she’s been very centered and independent.  At this point all I can do is have faith in myself for how we’ve raised her… and have faith in her to make her own mistakes and enjoy her triumphs.  My child who slept clutching a teddy bear just hours earlier; my child who 30 minutes earlier skipped and laughed with her father as we walked back to her dorm… is on her own.  I took one last photo as we were getting on the the highway to head home… her Hall.  She’s in there somewhere… embarking on her future.