Another One Leaves The Nest

Do you remember the scene from the movie “Father of the Bride” where Steve Martin’s character is talking to his grown daughter and all of a sudden he sees her when she is 6? In her little child voice she announces, “Daddy…I am getting married!” He shakes his head and wonders where the years have gone.

That is me.. right here.. right now.. sitting in the dining room with tears blurring my vision. Sitting in a house that is quiet, not because the kids are at school, but because someone is missing and we haven’t adjusted to the change.

Our fourth child has moved out. Even though Scott is one of six, it doesn’t make the letting go any easier.

I cherish the memories of watching Scott interact with others and learn how to do things for himself, such as tie his own shoes or build a Lego space station with tubs of small plastic parts. Our kiddo, who looked so tiny nestled into his bassinet, and needed help buckling his seatbelt now stands taller than his Dad and knows what it means to put in a hard days work.

It is hard to not wonder if we did everything we could to help them prepare for the world outside our front door as packed boxes of his personal belongings are carried out of his room and stored.

We understand full well that choices from this moment on are his to make. So are the consequences. It is hard to not want to protect. It is in our nature. The nurturer in me wants to know that everything will be fine and that he will reach his full potential. From this point on his life will never be the same. Neither will ours.

Anxiously, we wait to see if the young wings are strong enough to lift off and soar. We don’t know what will happen, but God knows. He knows the heart of a mom and dad who see their children grow up and move on. He sees the child who will need to depend on Him more than ever. He knows the purpose for which we are uniquely handcrafted.

While letting go isn’t an easy thing, sometimes it is part of our journey as much as it is our child.Scott came down the stairs yesterday with his packed bag, ready to report to the Army. It is a six-year commitment since he will be doing a lot of aviation mechanic training and hopefully fulfill his big dream of becoming a pilot.

He hugged me tight before leaving and said, “Love you Mom, don’t worry. I will be fine.”   I could have sworn he sounded just like a six year old.