Thursday, May 8, 2008

So here's the thing

It just occurred to me that in 115 days I will be driving my baby five hours away, kicking him to the curb, and expecting him to fend for himself in Universitytown.  The fact that my "baby" is a six foot,  160 pound athlete and  honour roll student whom we affectionately call "dumb blond" seems totally irrelevant as any mom would tell you.  I'll try to start at the beginning.

Nineteen years ago (and two weeks late I might add) I gave birth to a bouncing baby boy.  Eighteen months later I gave birth to another and realized I hadn't known the meaning of the word bouncing before - and for the next couple of years I wouldn't know the meaning of the word sleep.  Fast forward a few years - daycare, school, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, band, graduation!

At the beginning of September 2007 we dropped our first-born "Computer Dude" off at his university of his choice to study - you guessed it - computer science.  I have to explain about Computer Dude.  He had been ready to strike out on his own since he was about nine months old.  He tolerated us for the next 17 years or so.  The fact that he chose a university an hour from home made the transition easier for his dad and I.  He could easily come home for weekends............or not as it turned out.  He promised to phone home weekly (he lied).  He survived his first year and so did we.  He came home for a brief stint before starting his summer job in  *drum roll* a computer company.  He is living with two strangers (It's possible they are axe murderers) in the basement of a house (I wonder if there is a smoke alarm - I told him to check) with no mother to tell him to clean his room AND he is making money.  I suspect you can't get much closer to heaven than that when you are nineteen.  We are still negotiating over the how often to call home part (he's pretty set on never and I'm equally set on weekly) but he is close enough geographically that we can go and take him out for a meal - and he has yet to refuse a free meal. 

1 comment:

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

#1 went 3 hours away and we finally had to forbid her to come until Thanksgiving (after coming home her first 5 weekends straight). #2 will be going 17 hours (gulp) away!