I FEEL IT NEW every August, the heart-sinking dread of Mamas and Daddies facing a college freshman year. Oh, there’s a bit of excitement in the preparation, from college acceptance joy to the realization (during a push-the-boundaries summer) that good lord it is time for this child to move on.

And yet the moment comes.

The dorm room is fixed. The bed is made, and the clothes are put away. You hug hard. You take her face in your hands and say, one more time, I am so excited for you. And you get in the car, and smile and wave, and you drive away leaving your baby standing on a college campus, alone.

Ten miles later the tears begin to fall. And no matter how much you tell yourself to stop, this is silly, you are grateful she has this wonderful opportunity, you still can’t make them stop.

You put your phone in your purse. In the back seat. In the very very back so you cannot reach it to text her. And you begin to practice the one thing you know you must do for the next four years, for the next 10 years, for the rest of your life:

You let her work it out herself.

(I wrote about this on The Daily Grace at the time. Great blessings came to balance my angst.

And so I want to say to you now, whether you know it or not, whether you can believe it or not, this time of change is as much about you as it is about your beloved child.

We send you love and strength and perseverance, those of us who have been there. And we hope this time of growth—for both of you—ultimately makes your world bigger, more colorful, and more filled with the things that bring you joy.

Godspeed.

XXOO