<p>How wonderful your children all sound...and how terrific you parents must have been (and still are) to elicit those poignant gestures. I'm misty-eyed.</p>
<p>While DS has already been accepted to the LAC he plans to attend in the Fall 2006, and the application process and associated churn has already ended for our family, it will be a bittersweet year for me...each day representing the last calendar day he permanently lives under our roof. DS is my only child. And because of that, and because I've been so involved in his life (his swimming, homeschooling, etc.), I better start my own process of re-engaging with my own life and interests...put on hold all those years ago when we got the quite-unexpected telephone call saying that there was a 6-week old baby boy waiting to be adopted.</p>
<p>
[quote]
...my own life and interests...put on hold all those years ago when we got the quite-unexpected telephone call saying that there was a 6-week old baby boy waiting to be adopted.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>OB~</p>
<p><em>sniffle</em> Your son is ONE LUCKY boy, and you are a very, very lucky mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ~b.</p>
<p>I am so blessed. I was given such a wonderful opportunity, and I lived every minute of it fully. I laughed when DS made the "ABCs" song into a never ending melody at bedtime, I cried when he was pryed from my arms and whisked away to open heart surgery, and I stood in amazement marking all the milestones, the victories big and small, the scraped knees, the Halloween parades, the Christmas birthdays (face first in the cake several times), the frolicks at the beach, honor rolls, national swim meets, and the collection of stones in all shapes, sizes, and colors that my dear boy gathered for me over the years. My heart is full. I am so blessed.</p>
<p>ORANGEBLOSSOM - What a wonderful tribute to your son you have written - it surely says an alwful lot about you as well. Enjoy all the days to come with him - there are many more wonderful memories to come for you and him. What a lucky kiddo MOM~!!!!!</p>
<p>S wrote us something similar this summer, commenting on his appreciation of our parenting techniques ( did we have them?). He said he was so glad that that we raised him to be independent--a bittersweet comment as we know it is only half true. He still has moments of shocking dependence; ie $$$$, losing credit cards, missing flights in foreign cities, etc.</p>
<p>He thinks he's independent. Good on him. </p>
<p>Remember that feeling when you were nineteen? Woooooo doggie. How sweet it was....</p>
<p>We have faith that he will be able to sort out his own life, ups and downs, and we believe he is, in fact, the best person to make decisions on his behalf.</p>
<p>Well, everyone is making me cry now. Dig, what a kid. Jeepmom, I could see my sweet 15-year-old D doing that U-turn and second hug someday. Orangeblossom, I can see how close you are with your son from your beautiful words. Cheers, yeah, 19, I barely remember it, but yeah... what a rush of "independence." And you never feel such intensity about your freedom again. Berurah, it's just great to have you back around here with your positive words.</p>