Bye Bye Birdie

This month’s letter is a hard one for me. Our oldest will head off to college by the end of August, and all I’ve been doing for months is acquiring, little by little, the things he may need for his dorm and day-to-day life. I have a pile building up in the corner of our bedroom, and each time I add to it I feel sadness. 

He can obviously buy what he needs once he gets settled in, but the Mom hat doesn’t come off just because he’s leaving the nest. I know what you’re all thinking: Cut the apron strings, lady! I hear you, but he’ll always be my little birdie. I want to get him the things he’ll need for a smooth transition. Start him off with the comforts of home, since he’ll have plenty of new adult challenges to meet. 

“Back to school” has a whole new meaning for our family now. He’s not really going back; he’s starting a new, living away, taking what we’ve instilled, and seeing how his wings work. Having thought about this moment from the second he was born, I can say that nothing really prepares you for it. On the one hand, you have such pride in your child’s achievements and cannot wait to watch them on this journey. But on the other is the sadness of not seeing them every day, not hearing them walk through the door after school, not talking about their day face-to-face. Yes, of course, there’s Zoom and FaceTime, but you all know what I’m talking about.

Will he eat enough, will he sleep well, will he stay safe, will he make good decisions, will he be able to handle the pressures, can he balance his academics with his sport, will he like his roommate, will he call home? Ah, that last one . . . will I hear his voice as much as I did when he lived under our roof? Probably not, but I will hear it in my daily thoughts, and will look forward to every type of communication he will allow. 

After all, he is our little birdie, always and forever.

Good luck to all whose birdies are heading back to school, like our rising high school junior, and to whose birdies are starting anew. Virtual hugs abound.