Closing Time
It’s finally here. Liz leaves for college tomorrow. And with that 4 of the 5 kids will be out of the house and - more or less - on their own journey toward what life will look like for each of them.
I know that this really isn’t the end of anything. My kids are my kids and will always be my kids. This is just the next evolution of the relationship. It is more like a chapter ending than a book closing.
And. Nothing is ever more than one thing, right?
Be it college or military service or a full-time job or following Dave Matthews or living in a group home… whatever it is that comes next after they leave your house, at some point your kids will leave your house. They don’t stop being your kids (and they may come back for a while at some point), but they DO stop being your full-time responsibility. They are now required to take at least part-time ownership of their health and well-being.
They continue their journey. You become a rest stop.