So they are off. There was this inherent contradiction in taking this year as a family. Kids are meant to spread their wings and fly, to push the bounds of the nest and start to venture out on their own. Yet this year, we took them away from all their friends and known places to explore and we just had each other most of the time.
We have grown closer as a family than I ever thought possible, yet part of that growth has also come from pushing and finding out more about what each of us really needs. The kids need friends, and space, so for the end of this trip we signed them up for an overnight, week-long camp in Japan.
Today we took them to the Tokyo station to meet their camp counselors and they boarded a bus and headed to the coast for biking, hiking, full on camp adventure, complete with camp food and bunk beds.
They were so ready to have us gone that we were the first family there and took off before most of the other parents had even arrived. Lily who started this year with a stuffed animal, and now she stood as tall as her counselor and shrugged off the hug I tried to give her with a clear look it was time for me to go.
So they are off. The birds are out of the nest for the week. More than any milestone, this one hit me hard, knowing this is the beginning of the end. When we get home it will be middle school, high school and they are both practically young adults now. I don’t think I will ever get this much time with them and have so treasured every moment. I also know they are ready to fly.
Headed out - someone is ready to go!