Yesterday, Nina boarded the school bus for her first day of second grade. Clad in a freshly pressed dress and her favorite sandals, she skipped across the road with barely a hint of a Good-Bye. I want her to be independent. And yet, when she shows these early signs of being just so, it pains the heart. It's funny, isn't it. On one hand, wishing for silence. Wishing for just 5 minutes of peace. Longing for a full 15 minutes of someone not needing something. And then, feeling the coldness of the void when, well, I am just not needed.
Sad but true. But that's what comes with being a Mom. The huge responsibility that is assigned by nature, the exhaustion that goes beyond comprehension - all par for the course of shaping our little ones into happy, confident beings. Those small signs independence, like MJ getting up to go pee by himself, and putting himself back to bed. And Nina's off-hand wave to me as she boldly strides across the road to pick a seat on the bus.
I am blessed to be friends with women who have raised multiple children. And who now have seen those children go off to college, start their own business, build homes and get married. Because my children are blossoming among the solid trees of THOSE children, I am happy.
