A life in the day

When exhausted mothers of toddlers look to me and my gray hair for advice, I have consistently said, "parenting becomes more mental than physical as kids age, so hang in there." Well, friends, I lied. Here I am at age 49, with kids who are almost 21, 19 and 15, and in the last few days I have jumped-started the old Jeep Cherokee affectionately known as Izabella, packed up the 1999 Ford F150 with furniture and unloaded it at the off-campus house in College Park, ridden countless miles in the front seat as the girlie with the Learner's Permit practiced driving the Nissan Armada (roughly the size of Noah's Ark), instructed and aided in the painting of the upstairs bathroom, put together one of those huge out-of-the-box bookshelves, got the stripped bolt off the bike and sent more text messages than a ninth grader. Good thing I don't have to play Candyland on the floor or "pirates on the high seas" on the swing set out back ... not sure my old arthritic knees could stand that!

Throw in the "mental" part, with the first-born anxious to get back to college, the second-born suddenly deciding he'll get that bike that's for sale up in Pennsylvania so off he drives to Lancaster (3 hours each way mind you), and the youngest who treasures her quiet time so she roams the neighborhood alone looking for a great spot to sit and read. Now understand this: I am thrilled my boy loves college so much that he is anxious to get back there, and I'm proud of my son for researching bikes and being willing to go get exactly what he wants and what he can afford, and as for that sweet girl, who doesn't want some alone time? BUT, the emotional toll of letting go again, the irrational fear of car accidents and the ridiculous panic of a random kidnapping still filter through my mind despite the faith I have that everything will be just fine.

This day, and its physical and mental challenges, is almost over now and it seems as if it has lasted a lifetime. Andy is packed. Willie's new bike is awesome. Kayti is up in her room watching Gene Kelly dance across the television screen. All are safe and sound. This time next week, both boys will be back at college and Kayti will be preparing to start her second year in high school. Where did the time go?