Last First Day

Today was my older son's Last First Day of School. Thirteen years ago he got on the big yellow bus for the first time. I cried. Today he and his younger brother hopped in the car and pulled out of the driveway. I didn't cry. He is ready, I am ready, it is time for him to start out on his own life. When you send a kid to kindergarten you worry if the teacher will understand them, see their uniqueness, value their differentness. When you send a kid to his last year of high school you worry if they will understand others, see the unique qualities of their teachers, and value their experience. It really is a shift away from seeing your child as the center of the world to hoping that they realize that they are not.