And so my second fledgling will be leaving the nest next year. I can't actually believe that he is 18 and in matric. It feels like yesterday when he peeped over his blanket at me minutes after his birth, and yet sometimes it feels like eons ago. There is so much that I would like to say to him, and I know he'll listen but he won't hear. I think that he feels that we are trying to hold him back, to keep him in the fold. To be honest, if I could keep all three my children safe with me, I would certainly do that but I understand the realities of life and that each has a path to follow. I can only make them aware of the hurdles and dangers along that path, and of the treasures so easily missed when you only look ahead and don't see the scenery. I wonder if he understands that decisions made by us in the past were taken with the information we had at the time - decisions made with only his best interests at heart. As are the ones we are facing now.
Son, we don't have degrees in parenthood. We don't have the ability to see into the future - it's a mist that clears only as you walk through it.
Just know that we love you very much.
