What if I can't handle this?

Reminding myself that, in the past, I always have

I typed “uncertainty” into a stock image site and “Small Skeptical Dog” came up, Photo credit: Michelle Tresemer

In the comments of The Drop-Off (in which I described what it was like to drop my kids off at college), Mel replied:

This was helpful to read and... I need more :-) Meaning, I don't see myself being nearly as okay with the moment. […] I need to know how to let that rational side of my brain (I prepared them, they're ready for this, it will be good for them) be louder than the emotional side of my brain.

What an honest and (I think) brave comment. I totally identified with Mel’s worry about how she’ll handle her kid’s departure. I felt that way, too. During both my kids’ senior years, everything felt more poignant, as if the days played out under the fading light of a perpetual sunset.

We could talk about the inevitable grief that comes with kids growing up and moving out — something that can be hard to say out loud.