Today, I have been moping around my house. Today, my son submitted his first application for college. If he had a paper calendar, this date would have been circled in red. Instead, he’s committed it to memory and reminded us of it often. So, this morning, we sat on the couch and he worked on the application. As we clicked submit, I broke into selfish tears and boo-hooed about my little baby growing up and applying to college. To make it worse, he leaves for Seattle, Washington for two weeks tomorrow to visit his aunt and go to a camp at the University of Washington
But, how glad am I that I have a son who is able to apply for college! How wonderful to be around to see him reach for his dreams! How wonderful that he is here!
There are people who don’t get to experience the bittersweet moments of parenthood. When a friend of mine had her first child, I told her that each new stage was the best. It is true. I like knowing the people that my children are becoming. I love that I have that opportunity. Some people never experience the joy of parenthood, and every day, many parents experience the heartache of losing their child.
Today, I realized that bittersweet tastes really good; in fact, I’ll gladly take a second serving.