The students are back.
Classes start Monday and they are making the most of their weekend. I just ran out to the liquor store (because I was jonesing, weirdly, for a Kahlua and cream -- unlike me but sometimes you just go with it) and they were out in force. There were two women in the liquor store whose ensembles made me want to say, "Honey, did you forget your pants this evening?" As I was pulling out of the parking lot I saw a knot of young men, none of whom had dressed for our freakishly chilly weather, and I gasped a small gasp as a result popped up on my mental calculator.
In three years my Alex will be a freshman in college. Three years is nothing. Three years ago I was smiting head lice and smacking dissertation data around and singing while a crawling baby ate a book. That was, like, half an eye-blink ago.
There are so many things I want to teach him, and he is not a very willing pupil these days. "Why do we have to clean the house when you are the only one who cares?" he asked me today. "The Catholic Church says ONCE A YEAR for confession," he announced, arms folded, when I tried to shoehorn him into the car today after his summer away. He was unmoved by my pointing out that you probably wouldn't wind up with scabies if you only bathed once every couple of months, but it's still prudent to do so more often.
I think back to myself at 17, leaving home for college. There were so many things I didn't know. I muddled through. I guess he'll muddle through too. Right?
Of course. My 16 year old reminds me quite often that this won't be forever - his daily presence, family vacations, the background sound of his guitar and bass...I don't know if we are ever prepared to leave home. Praying for both of us.
Posted by: gina | August 19, 2012 at 08:05 AM