Wake Up! Waukesha
Jay, who has lived in the Waukesha area for over 20 years, is an active volunteer who has served on numerous local boards and committees. He's married to Colleen with three kids having gone through the Waukesha schools. He is the VP of a local distribution company.
The kids are going back to college...And I miss them already...
Seems like it was just May and we were looking towards our 2 youngest coming home from college. Areas in the lower level were cleaned out for their transient belongings which follow them from UW LaCrosse and back again. Bedrooms were freshened, fresh foodstuffs were stockpiled into pantries, and we looked forward to their arrival.
BANG! They hit home and everyone reverts to their established behavior, patterns, and always-shifting familial alliances. I mentally plan "cooperative" tasks including getting the cottage Summer-ready; fishing with my son; taking the kids out to dinner; making the annual family Eagle River trek in July; and many other small events which have been meaningful over the years. Well...
A new pattern is emerging and it was and is inevitable - the kids are "growing-up". And with that, their lives are a lot less dependent on us or even each other. Real jobs/internships, expanding circles of friends, new forms and areas of entertainment, a trip to Vegas; re-joining a water ski club; numerous parties; and many other out-of-home diversions have replaced "Hey - Let's go miniature golfing!" or "How about Okauchee for a family day on the water?"
Just "yesterday" and looking ahead to their arrival home in May, I can't believe the summer is almost over and school beckons them once again. Time flew by. Happy for them and their resumption of the college experience, the past months reminded us of how far they have come in recent years - and how they are now carving out their own lives and futures. This is the natural progression, and one we as parents hope we prepared them for.
Call me sentimental, view me as an idealist, or chastise me as a "softie", their near-departure leaves me somewhat saddened. There was so much more to do...together. And yet the summer was full and rich with memories for all. Our kids are growing, maturing, and looking ahead at full-speed to whatever the next few years will bring. We, on the other hand, are trying to slow things down a bit... and savor the moments.
Maybe the natural progression of moving forward attributed above continues to apply to me as well - Hopefully I am prepared.
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