In A Blink

If your children have not left home, then this story is for you. If your children have left home then this story is a salute to you. 

It seems like just yesterday that we moved to our home in Terrace Park. There were two main reasons for moving here. One was so that our children could attend an Ohio Blue Ribbon school. The other was because my wife Linda and I just loved the feel of living in a small village. That move was a little over 18 years ago, and our daughter Lauren had just entered kindergarten. 

Of course, when Lauren was young, thoughts of her leaving home never entered my mind. There were too many things to do, too many things to think about, and too many moments to cherish. The first realization that my little girl was growing up came to me, suddenly, when one afternoon she said that she wanted the training wheels off of her bike. As I stood there and watched her navigate her way, alone, around the circle in front of our home, time stopped, and I knew right then that one day she would leave Terrace Park and embark on a life of her own. That time is here, she is gone. Now, the memories come flooding back. 

The beach is where Lauren loved to go on vacation, and I remember our first trip as if it was just yesterday. Lauren was 10 months old and we put her in one of those back pack carriers, and walked along the beach for what seemed like forever. Then there were the father/daughter dances. Oh, you know, the dances that guys with no rhythm simply dreaded, but their little girls did not seem to mind. Then there were the sports teams in grade school that I coached and she played. Victories were not nearly as important as the fact that my daughter made me so proud by doing her best, being a good sport, and being a good team mate. There were birthday parties, making tie-dyed T-shirts, and taking cooking classes. 

Naturally, there were days that did not go so well. Maybe it was struggles with a friend, grades, or a coach that did not seem to let up. There were the awkward times like when Lauren got braces and asked me, “Daddy, am I pretty with braces?” 

Fast forward some more, 16 comes before you realize it. Lauren started to drive and I began to wonder, “where have the years gone?” And so it goes, before you know it, they are spending more time with friends than they are with you.  This is when you panic a bit and all sorts of thoughts run through your mind, about her future, and about what yours will be like without her around. 

In the High School years you seem to do more watching than participating. You see the defining moments, like the time that Lauren decided that she was going to change the world by giving back selflessly, and took her entire family to Haiti, and forevermore changed their lives. Lauren helped us find our purpose in life. In a flash, junior year comes, Lauren is now blogging, and I’m simply amazed at what I read. 

The senior year of high school finally arrives and it’s all about leaving.

Maybe I was hoping that this day would not arrive, the day that you realize that your daughter has become a young woman and she is going to be gone soon. I started making a list of everything that I wanted to tell her and things that I wanted to do with her. The senior year is a year of firsts and lasts. It is a year that goes by very quickly. It is a year of final participation in sports, playing their last concert, final high school pictures, and the last time for prom pictures on the concourse. It is a year they select a college or a vocation. 

The day has come, the preparations are completed, and the long trips back and forth to the University of Alabama are over – Lauren is now in College. The thought of not seeing her everyday is difficult. Looking back now, I can see that helping your child get started on the next chapter of their lives is both exciting and sad. When people ask me how I felt after dropping Lauren off at college; I simply say that, “It was a happy and sad time, bittersweet…” It has only been a couple of weeks, and we miss her more than we ever thought possible. After a while, our hope is that she will miss us too. 

Linda and I hope that Lauren remembers the things that we taught her, the important things. We know now that it is no longer about us, or about our time with her, it’s now about the future – her future. It is her time to blossom, without training wheels, or me to hold her up.

Our children grow up, and they grow up very quickly. Cherish every moment you have with them, because in a blink of your eye they will be gone.