Oh, I feel this deeply. My eldest of three just graduated from HS and my gosh, it's hitting way harder than I saw coming. Hugs and best of luck to you as your daughter takes flight.💖
My oldest took a gap year too, one that I wasn't initially on board for, but that turned out to be a great thing for her. Wishing you both courage and joy in your next steps.
I loved this post. It’s still in my inbox because I wanted to come here and comment on it. :) I always thought parenthood would be straightforward: raise the kids, kids go to college, kids leave. But my first thought he was going to be done in 3 years and realized too late that it wasn’t possible, and that threw the next several years into a tailspin. My second has Down syndrome, and graduating didn’t exactly mean graduating, as she has a fifth year and then… maybe?… a couple years of a specialized college program, but we don’t know… and so on and so on.
I love your story about trying new and scary things. I do think doing things that scare us is the only way to keep from being controlled by them. (Maybe that’s why I’m indie publishing????)
Beautiful story! No greater realization than when you take a step back and realize you gave them the runway, groomed it and prepared them for take off. Holding tight, saying a prayer, trusting… the. Letting them fly😍
Ps. next time lmk im just down the street from the riverbend🫶🏼
Love this. Not sure how it happened, but my son is about to start his senior year. I remember taking him to college for his freshman year like it was yesterday. I had a hard time letting go, but I'm glad I did.
Oh, I feel this deeply. My eldest of three just graduated from HS and my gosh, it's hitting way harder than I saw coming. Hugs and best of luck to you as your daughter takes flight.💖
What an adventure!
My oldest took a gap year too, one that I wasn't initially on board for, but that turned out to be a great thing for her. Wishing you both courage and joy in your next steps.
I loved this post. It’s still in my inbox because I wanted to come here and comment on it. :) I always thought parenthood would be straightforward: raise the kids, kids go to college, kids leave. But my first thought he was going to be done in 3 years and realized too late that it wasn’t possible, and that threw the next several years into a tailspin. My second has Down syndrome, and graduating didn’t exactly mean graduating, as she has a fifth year and then… maybe?… a couple years of a specialized college program, but we don’t know… and so on and so on.
I love your story about trying new and scary things. I do think doing things that scare us is the only way to keep from being controlled by them. (Maybe that’s why I’m indie publishing????)
What an incredible journey you've been on, Kathleen!
Yikes, I'm so glad you were safe! We had some of our own FLEs while on a 10-day sailing trip last month... Rivers and oceans are scary powerful!
Rivers have a way of stripping us down to our raw emotions. Tell Matt to stay closer next time! 💕
So true!
Beautiful story! No greater realization than when you take a step back and realize you gave them the runway, groomed it and prepared them for take off. Holding tight, saying a prayer, trusting… the. Letting them fly😍
Ps. next time lmk im just down the street from the riverbend🫶🏼
Well said. It's the trust part that's hard. I'll tell Matt. If we go again it will be in the daylight. :)
My goodness! Glad you lived to tell the tale!
My heart skipped a beat.
You tell it so well!
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Love this. Not sure how it happened, but my son is about to start his senior year. I remember taking him to college for his freshman year like it was yesterday. I had a hard time letting go, but I'm glad I did.
Hope this helps, too: https://cynthiagentry.substack.com/p/10-things-ive-learned-about-empty?r=kciku&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web
*woman... Brave woman! And also, the nest leaving is hard.
I've floated that river and seen those horse... In the day time. 🙂 You are a brave girl!