I knew this day was coming.
I’ve known it for years.
I knew it when we boarded a plane with the little butterball in Almaty, Kazakhstan. I knew it when we walked down the steps of the orphanage in Shemkent the day he officially became our son.
I knew the time would fly by. I didn’t know it would fly so fast. I knew today would be bittersweet. It didn’t know it would be this bitter nor this sweet.
Sunday my son and I left home. Today I came home alone.
My son starts college on Monday. He’ll be living with my mother-in-law, which will be good for both of them. I’ve spent the last few days helping him get settled and doing some chores my MiL needed doing. I am incredibly proud of my son. I’m not going to say his name or which college he’s attending out of respect for his privacy. He has turned into a fine young man. He still has some growing up to do, but compared to the typical college freshman I see, he’s ahead of them. He’s smart, charming, handsome. And since I had nothing to do with his genetics, I can brag on him without having to assume any false modesty.
The time has come when he has to stand or fall on his own merits. I’m putting aside the doubts and second-guessing that’s normal at a time like this. Whether there was something I could have done differently or better (there was, there always is), what’s done is done. There’s very little left I can do, at least unless/until I’m asked to.
I’m not worried. He’s turned out fine, in spite of his parents at times. He’s got a great future ahead of him.
Well done, sir! All of the accolades your pour on him is because of his upbringing (which comes from you) and due to his strenght of character. So you have a right to feel fiercely proud of him. I look at my tribe growing up fast and I am scared of the day they leave home. So I feel you and I wish you good luck with what youre going through. I also wish your son good luck with his studies and future endevours. My the Lord continue to bless your family.
Thank you very much. The time will pass quickly for you, as I am sure you’re noticing.
I am thankful that I have had a job with enough flexibility to allow me to be a part of his life more than is typical.
Best to him and kudos to you!
Thank you.
Exactly the way I felt on those drop-off-at-college days: bitter and sweet. Well, not so much bitter, but definitely bittersweet. It’s a proud-happy-sad-joyful day — hope you didn’t embarrass him too much 😉
No, I didn’t embarrass him. Classes don’t start until Monday. The trumpet professor is someone we know from previous things, so we stopped in to say hello, and he showed us around. We were originally told band practice would start yesterday, but then they changed it to Monday. I had already made plans to help him move in with my MiL, so we went down as planned. He has spent today dealing with an AP grade that hasn’t shown up so he can get into the math class he needs to be in and not the default they put him in. Based on what he told me earlier, he has handled it well.
Congratulations and best of luck to him.
Thank you.