Off to College

My oldest son has made it through two weeks in the dormitory now, and needless to say, Mom and Dad are very proud. My wife tells me to resist the temptation to call him every day. Alright so far, but it hasn’t exactly been easy. One day he was still in the house, and the next he’s grown up and moved out on his own. I’m glad that a lot of his friends decided to go there, too, and it sure doesn’t bother me that he’s only about a 20 minute drive away.

A few day’s ago, I heard “Cat’s in the Cradle” on the radio. I’m sure I’m not the only parent who gets choked up hearing (again) about the little boy whose “smile never dimmed’ even though his dad had no time to play catch with him. Harry Chapin’s song has always been a tearjerker, but it takes on a somewhat different meaning now that my oldest is in college. I know the old adage about giving your children both roots and wings, and I believe it’s true, but it can still be a challenge to let go.

At least I’ve got many more happy memories than regrets. Unlike the father in that song, my wife and I made a point to at least always try to be there for our boys. One of my favorite memories? Reading them stories before going to bed, all the way through elementary school. Not one of those minutes was ever wasted, as far as I’m concerned.

I keep a beat-up copy of Sam and the Firefly on a shelf in the garage. I loved reading it as a kid, and I loved reading it to my sons even more. It’s a needed reminder at this point in my life that Solomon was right, “for everything there is a season.”