May 2022 || Our trio turns 18 in a few weeks and we have one year to go until graduation.
It seems fitting that the season is Spring and I am surrounded by sunshine and pleasant days full of evidence of new life and growth. Rather than extreme sadness or anxiety, I am truly feeling the excitement of all that is to come.
The last month has seen a flurry of college visits and each time we have walked on a campus I have enjoyed 'trying on' some version of what life might be like for my people if they attended that school. Of course I have no crystal ball, but the promise and potential of each place serves as a reminder that there are many paths they could take. I feel like a child at Christmas, waiting for the time for gifts to be unwrapped.
In the meantime, I am watching our trio each rise to the occasion in their own way. My expectations of what defines being 'ready' for launch are shifting and becoming more refined. I can also sense our young people want to listen a bit more now that the reality of living away from us becomes more clear.
This weekend has allowed us to spend true quality time together as a family and I am really enjoying each of my people right now at this age. I don't just love them, I like them a lot. My husband said our focus for the next year should be to savor---and I am leaning into that challenge.
I read a quote last week about how raising older teens was like starting the last chapter of a book you love--you can't wait to see how it turns out, but you aren't ready for it to be over.
I couldn't have said it better.
1 comment:
It is so refreshing to read this perspective from a parent of teenagers. I've read your blog for years, since your kids were preschoolers (the age mine are now!), and you have been preparing for this season for a long time. What a joy to see that you are savoring it now!
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