WHEN YOUR CHILD LEAVES HOME

One knows subconsciously that one day, your child needs to spread his wings, and in the not too distant future, he may be gone. But that day seems far away and even though you sometimes may wish time forward, you secretly hope it will never happen. In fact, you may think to yourself, “Your child will not leave you, ever.”

But now, as never before, I feel a hand reaching inside of me and squeezing as I watch my teenage son grow taller and more independent each and every day. When he walks into our bedroom in the mornings, I see the doorframe above him getting closer and closer to the top of his head, and each time, my heart tears a little for the inevitable.

I find myself suddenly trying to cling to him a little, as if trying to recapture some sacred moment that I lost somewhere along the line, even though I have been a full time mother.

This poem is apt …

“I see children as kites. You spend a lifetime trying to get them off the ground. You run with them until you’re both breathless … they crash and bite the rooftop … you patch and comfort, adjust and try to teach. You watch them lifted by the wind and assure them that some day they’ll fly. Finally they are airborne. They need more string and you keep letting it out. But with each twist of the ball of twine there is a sadness that goes with joy. The kite becomes more distant, and you know that it won’t be long before that beautiful creature will snap the lifeline that binds you together and will soar as it is meant to soar, free and alone. Only then will you know that you did your job.”

- Author unknown

And why is it that in the animal kingdom, the animals are so much better at this than we are? They prepare themselves and their young for this very moment – the moment of separation. They have an internal clock that knows exactly when to let go, and they do it so gracefully.

Because I only have an 'impending' departure, waiting quietly in the wings of the future, I would love to hear how you coped when your children left home? Write and tell me!