Long Way From Kindergarten

I remember watching my first born child say goodbye to me and walk down the hallway to his first day of kindergarten just like he was a big kid. He didn't want me to walk him to class, so I watched from the doorway of another classroom. So young and wanting to be so independent.

Today, I watched from the driver's seat of my car as that same big boy boarded a city bus (another first & something I've never even done) to leave and go to his first day of college. I prayed with him on our way to the bus stop, and I sat there to make sure he got on the right bus and that everything was okay before I left. Okay, I know that might be silly, but we live in a city of over 200,000 and the sun was not even up yet, so I didn't want to leave him sitting alone in the dark at a bus stop. At least that's my excuse.

Now I sit here wondering how his first day is going, how he is doing, is he understanding everything alright, is he feeling overwhelmed or nervous, does he like his prof and the class, is he excited, and about a million other things.

Today, I'm so proud of the young man he's grown up to be, so proud of him for knowing what he wants to be & do and going on to tech school to make that happen. But inside, where no one can see, there's a little piece of me that wishes it hadn't happened so fast. It sure is a long way from that first day of kindergarten.