Engineering Guy

Eighteen months after his brother engineering guy came along kicking and screaming.  After a very volatile toddlerhood he turned into a pretty mellow fellow.  From an early age he was determined that his older brother would not beat him in any area and I think that is where his competitive nature came from (well that and his dad).  Now nearly eighteen years later I am getting ready to send him off into the big bad world to study engineering.  He could have gone to the same school as his brother which is arguably the best engineering school in the country but he chose to go to a different school five hours away.  It's funny how perspective changes because for the last two years he was determined to go to the west coast (which is half a country away) so now five hours seems like nothing.  I had a countdown timer on my desktop to help prepare myself for the empty nest but I found it too depressing.  It's time for him to go.  Even though he is only seventeen he is ready.  He has chosen what I believe is the best learning environment for him.  I'm proud of how hard he has worked to make sure he had choices.  I'm just a bit sad that they both have grown up so fast.