The Circle of Life

Well, we did it. We dropped The Girl off at university for her second year.

She couldn’t get her room until Sunday, but we went up to Ottawa on Saturday and made a long weekend of it. We went to dinner with the family of one of her high-school friends (who also is at Carleton, and is living on the floor below her in her residence building), and she stayed with us at our hotel on Saturday night. On Sunday, we had breakfast together and went to drop her off. We got her settled, had a good look at her room (nicer than last year: this building has windows that open!), and left her to acclimate herself to her new surroundings. We took her out to dinner, and then back to our hotel for a movie. Then we drove her back to her res to sleep.

We had breakfast together on Monday, and went back to her room to finish getting her set up. We could tell she was ambivalent about us leaving; she wanted us to go, but she wanted us to stay, too. It was the same with us: we knew that we had to let her go, but we really wanted her to stay and be ‘our little girl’ some more.

It was difficult to say goodbye to her. We’ll see her when she comes home for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and we’ll probably visit her a few times during the school year. But it was difficult to drive away. It was really hard to leave that beautiful, talented, strong-yet-vulnerable, independent young woman. Our daughter. MY daughter. I confess I cried a little as we drove away (somewhat awkward when you’re crying and driving at the same time).

The first half-hour of the drive home was much more subdued than usual. You never really get used to leaving your kids.

The Circle of Life sucks!