‘I notice the careful details in dorm rooms. The way you hold your not-so-little person a little too tightly. I am in awe of your ability to let go.’: Mom pens letter to the ‘brave mamas and daddies’ amid school reopenings

“To my friends dropping off at college,

I am watching from afar and wondering what it feels like to push your baby bird from the nest amidst a pandemic.

I notice the careful details in dorm rooms; lights have been strung, pillows have been monogrammed, and beds are neatly made for the last time.

I imagine warnings about masks, social distancing, and lifting parties are tolerated by eager young adults ready for freedom.

I admire the bright smile of the momma whose arm is holding her not so little person a little too tightly.

I watch the brave fathers, quiet and stoic from afar, asking nonsensical questions and wondering how this could finally be happening.

I am in awe of your ability to let go, throw caution to the wind, and swallow the fears that must set sail of your mothering heart.

I understand how time does fly by, and though we’ve got nearly a half dozen more years, I can imagine that day.

I am knee-deep in motherhood and your bravery tells me to hold tighter, complain less, and laugh more often.

I hear the silence in your texts, and I notice the lump in your throat and the way you are trying to grin and bear it.

I know you’re wondering what the absence will feel like and if the silence will be too loud.

I know you’re praying COVID will stay away, and they can continue with a normal life that seems like a foreign land.

I acknowledge this is a huge life change that mothers of little people don’t understand, but we want to, and we’ll listen.

I think dropping your person off at college must feel like a bittersweet victory.

I watch my oldest boy lead his siblings through the world and I think about how it will be my turn in four more years.

For you, I’ll try not to wish for a quiet house and a day where chaos no longer reigns.

Kudos to the brave mamas and daddies.”

This story was submitted to Love What Matters by Adrian Wood. You can follow her journey here. Submit your own story here and be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

Read more from Adrian:

‘I rushed over to apologize. ‘He’s fine,’ she said in a quiet voice. I swallowed my tears. She showed me my son is not a nuisance, but a gift.’: Special needs mom shares stranger’s act of kindness

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