Ultimate Blog Challenge - You're on your own, Kid

Welcome back to Ultimate Blog Challenge. Today's assignment is to start thinking about where we want to go with our website. 

"Have you made plans or set goals for where you want to be? Take some time today and map out where you would like to be in 90 days."

I don't have plans or goals as far as my website / blog goes, except one: to keep it alive. After this challenge I may take it easy for a while though. 

In 90 days it'll be Halloween, hard to believe, right?

Also the hockey season will be in full swing. 

And my baby boy will be growing up further, having started a new school in a new town. It's just a 10 minutes' train ride away, but he will be away from home a lot.

Can we talk about the detachment process? Is that what it's called? 

A few months ago, we were late for our doctor's appointment. I said I will just drop you at the entrance and go find a parking space. That's an advantage of having such a grown-up son.

"Is this the only advantage?" he asked.

I guess not. What about you, what do you feel becomes better as you grow older?

"I'll give you an advantage that is a disadvantage at the same time: personal responsibility. Or as Taylor Swift likes to say: You're on your own, kid."

Well said. 

Lately, because I had to work a lot, and because of his (pre) graduation schedule, he's been home alone for some time. It's been interesting.

Sometimes, well, one time, I would come home at lunch time, and he'd be making pasta.

Being the organized Mom that I am, I make sure to have some frozen boiled water for him to defrost at all times. 

Just kidding. He boils his own pasta water from scratch!

Sometimes I would come home during the afternoon and see that the washing machine was done. I didn't remember to have started it. I transferred the laundry to the dryer and hit the button. Upon coming into the house, I'd ask were you doing laundry? And he'd say, "yeah, is it done, I need (insert clothing item)?"

Ahem, it's done if you like it wet and heavy. If you need it nice and dry, you need to wait until the dryer is done, which will take anything between 2 and 2.5 hours. (Don't ask. European, energy saving appliances - they take forever.)

So yes, he's getting self-sufficient, and I am not mad about that.

However, the new phase of our life that is about to begin makes me a little sad.

For the past ten years, he always came home for lunch. Except when I was working, then he ate at childcare or went to my parents'.

That's how the Swiss school system works when it comes to elementary and junior high school. A pain in the butt for working Moms. That's why in the past years schools were more and more required to offer meal options. Since they have no infrastructure (no school cafeterias), lunches may be served at a nearby community center or the like.

His new school, to where he will commute by train, has a canteen, and it's an 8 minutes' walk to McD's and other eateries in the Old Town. 

While I will enjoy my new found freedom, I will simply miss seeing him. He's not a talkative person, it's not that I would have learned much about his everyday life at school, but we would still connect on some level. 

Colin doesn't know anybody from his new class. His best friend will be at the same school, they can ride the train or have lunch together, but they will be in different classes. Colin is a bit nervous about that, but I'm sure it'll only take a few days, and he will have found his people. Well, that's my hope for him. I mean, they could be lucky to have him as a friend!

Did I tell you about the note?

Their teacher from the school they just graduated from, wrote personal notes for each and every student. What she wrote about / for him made me cry. It's in Swiss German, so don't bother reading it ;-)

She mentioned his big heart and great sense of humor, how he is interested in what's going on in the world, and how he always stays true to himself. "You're helping out where ever you can, and you have the greatness not to take yourself too seriously but to laugh at yourself. You're clever and probably very mature for your age, but still you're grounded."

So I trust he will be OK on his future endeavors. 

As for me, I may have to look for a new / additional purpose, and I remember having saved 30 writing prompts that talk about just that. 

So, Moms of older children, how did you cope while being on the brink of the nest getting emptier?