You know those moments you want to freeze and just absorb every single millisecond, to remember the feeling, the image, the impact forever? It may be up ahead or far in your rearview mirror, but it’s those moments, the ones when you hold onto your child, tight, for a final embrace.
It may be before they walk into their kindergarten classroom, or when they wiggle out from your embrace as they turn away and head to high school, or as you both hold on one last time before they leave for college. These moments last only seconds, but stay with you forever. We ask ourselves . . . Are they going to be ok? Have we prepared them for what’s ahead? Are they ready to make their own decisions and consider the consequences?
As the separation of parent and child gradually happens over many years, those poignant moments give us an opportunity to pause and relish the incredible being in front of us and all that they are growing into. It’s an opportunity to celebrate their gifts and support their individual learning. It’s our opportunity to tune into our most authentic selves to demonstrate wisdom in our vulnerability and to let them go and become the being they are meant to be.
We are preparing for our oldest daughter to graduate high school this month and head off to college this fall. Many of you are preparing your kindergartener, middle schooler, high schooler or college student for the next big adventure of their lives. Remember that you are wise, you are courageous and you are among a community of parents navigating these new waters together. When worry, doubt and fear creep in, embrace this community, support each other and find gratitude in the milliseconds of those moments, so you can let go.
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