In the Moment

I just got back from picking my son up after school.  Between football and lacrosse and everything in between he rarely takes the bus home.  While the school is not around the corner it is just a mere 9 minutes away, much better than some of my friends on the other side of town, but it can still get tedious.  As I was driving there I was reminded of how many times I made that same ride for my older son and how I longed for the day when he would be old enough to do it for himself.

That day came much faster than I thought it would and as I look back I realize how precious those times were.  The good news is that I get to do it all over again with the 20-20 hindsight that comes with it.  And for those of you who are in the midst of this very experience you may think me crazy but I would like to tell you to enjoy this while you can.

If your child is a freshman or a sophomore, you may think that you still have so many more of these days ahead of you and look upon this as a burden, just one more thing to do in the midst of a day that is already filled with far too much.  But I cannot tell you how much I miss having my older son all to myself in the car – or even with a few of his friends.

Think of the opportunity.  They have nowhere that they can go and if you can get them to take the earphones out of their ears long enough you can actually have a substantive conversation.  You might even get some real information from them delivered in multi-syllable words.  And if you are lucky enough that they have a friend along, or several friends, it is sometimes amazing what you can find out just by listening.

Nowadays, as I take the 9 minute drive along roads that I think my car could go on its own I don’t look upon it as something I cannot wait to end but rather I am thankful that I have the opportunity to do it again.  As I sit in front of the school and wait for whatever activity it is to end, instead of feeling irritated at my inability to do be doing something I think is more pressing, I remind myself that there really is nowhere else I need to be that is more important.

I remember the first time I drove by the school after my older son had graduated and I really did miss those days of waiting there, my son and his friends jumping into the car, listening to what had happened that day.  So while this might not be exactly something that you need to be thinking about in getting ready for college, it is something you should not overlook because it will be gone in a blink of an eye.  This I can surely guarantee you.  I know I will be enjoying every minute of playing “Mom the Taxi” for the next couple of years, I am telling you that you should, too.