Lately, I catch myself pausing to sneak glimpses of him.
As if maybe I could soak him up enough to make letting go next fall a little easier.
This good-natured, introspective son of mine—sandwiched between his two sisters—turns eighteen at the end of the month.
I can’t get used to how much older he’s starting to look, especially the past few months. His hair has grown out since his senior pictures were taken in the fall. I love how it now wings out a little on the sides when he wears a hat.
I couldn’t be more proud of this guy. He works hard and moves through life with integrity. And like every teenager in this country has been called to do, he has risen to the challenge during these exceedingly weird, uncertain, pandemicky times that will forever mark his final bow to the K-12 years.
I’m so truly excited about the countless and wonderful possibilities ahead for him. But I thought the count-down to his high school graduation would be emotionally easier on me than when I tumbled through it with his older sister two years ago. One would think by round two, I’d be a little more tough-skinned.
Sure, I may have gained some basic footwork and defense. But overall, I feel like a novice in a boxing ring getting jabbed and uppercut by mixed emotions all over again.