“Give the ones you love wings to fly, roots to come back, reasons to stay.”
The Dalai Lama
Oh, Spidey, don’t remind me…
By the time this post goes live, I will have been awake before the crack of dawn, dropping a certain (not so) Lil Man off and back, sitting there, worrying about him for the first of three days…
He’s off abroad with his college for the first time!
And I know this is where it starts.
I am so happy he is going, as he didn’t want to, but I am so aware of children needing to learn independence and share rich experiences.
But… it is so hard letting them go!
The last time he did an overnight trip, it was at primary school. He was in the country, not far away, and my colleagues were the adults supervising, so it didn’t feel so bad.
This time, he will be in a different country in charge of currency, his passport (for a short while, until the teacher in-charge takes it for safe-keeping!) and not going over his roaming allowance on his phone! (As well as looking after himself, not missing time deadlines and keeping track of his luggage!)
Nervous? Me?
Don’t be silly, of course I’m not! (I’m lying… I am really nervous!)
I just want him to have a good time, and a productive trip at the conference he is attending, as well as having fun with his friends.
The thing is, I know I have to get him to spread his wings. In fact, we are actively encouraging it. He takes his A-Levels soon and doesn’t want to go to University, so there is an element of independence that he isn’t going to experience straight away. It’s unlikely that he will leave home any time soon if he starts an apprenticeship, as, well, why would you, if you have a roof over your head and no rent to pay!
Breathe, Ritu, breathe. This is just the start!
So, Peeps, how have you coped with the kids growing up, if you have been through it? 😊
But I Smile Anyway... 