As the time drew nearer to take my oldest daughter back to college for her sophomore year, we began the typical preparations. Buying school supplies. Packing. Finalizing class schedules. Through this preparation period, I began to emotinoally prepare myself for the hardest part of the entire process, at least for me. Saying good-bye.
I went into this sophomore year determined to avoid a repeat of her freshman year, when I sobbed as I left her in her dorm and cried on and off afterward for days. I felt a tremendous gap in my heart and in our home without her here, and it hurt worse than I anticipated. Even when I grew accustomed to her absence, the dull ache of missing her never left me.
So, this year, I began giving myself pep talks to remind myself why her return to school is actually a positive event.
She is so excited to return to the university and friends that she loves.
She is receiving an excellent education and looking forward to starting the nursing program.
Teaching our children the skills they need to be independent and supporting them as they learn and mature is part of the parenting process.
She is not too far away from home and will be back.
Due to COVID-19, I had about 8 weeks of quarantine here at home with her and her younger sister, which was unexpected bonus time together.
As the countdown to her move- in day continued, I felt buoyed by my list of reasons to feel positive about it. Until the night before she left. As I got ready to go to sleep, the reality of the situation suddenly hit me. Hard.
When I thought about all the things that I would miss about her, the tears began to flow. The absence of the sound of her voice, her laughter, her positive energy, and her sweet spirit in our home is palpable. I can rationalize why this is a good thing overall, but my heart needs time to catch up, as it just knows that it misses my girl terribly.
I am sure that, in due time, the tears will subside, and I will readjust to her absence, while anxiously awaiting her return. For now, though, I will work through my sophomore slump as best I can. Going forward, next year, when both of my girls will leave for college, all bets are off, though!
That’s another story. . .
Categories: That's Another Story
That's Another Story 
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