Leave!

This morning I made the rounds dropping off the kids at school (which will become an all too familiar routine over the next several months). Of course, I don't dare walk them to the door anymore - no matter how much I would love to.

The first stop - I pull up and tell Bryce "I love you - have a good day". And I get a very quiet, almost a grunt in fact - "Love You" and a peace sign as he shuts his door and struts on past the car down the sidewalk. So, I chuckle to myself and continue to the next stop.

I get to the next stop and tell Austin "I love you - have a good day". He doesn't respond with words (which is quite typical when we tell him we love him), however he blows a kiss from the backseat (thank goodness for tinted windows or might not have even gotten that). I will take the blown kiss - it is just as good as the three words that are often said without thinking anyway. So, he gets out of the car and walks toward the doors. I have a good parking spot so I sit and watch while remembering when he was a baby and suddenly we realized he was no longer a baby, but a little boy. Now I wonder, where did that little boy go - now he is a young man. He doesn't really have toys anymore, he likes music and his shoes have to be purchased in the men's section (ouch). As I'm deep in my reminiscent thought, he turns around and sees me sitting there and starts frantically waiving his hand and the word "LEAVE" is being formed by his lips.

While I am grateful that my kids are independent - I somewhat envy the parents who pry their children off of their legs every morning when they drop them off at school.