SURREY – The date on the calendar reminds me that the time is drawing near for my child to leave for university.

I have dreaded these days for years. It is time for my child to leave our home and begin a life of his own. I worry he is somehow too young to move away and I question life’s so called “natural progression.”

I had a life, got married and had two children. I think of the first five years of each of their lives as a complete blur. Night after night of non-sleeping and if I’m not mistaken, I’ve come full circle. The elementary school years flew by with PAC meetings, cross country races and sleepovers with old and new friends. The high school years accelerated in lightning speed with the grand finale of dancing with my son at the grad dinner/dance.

My son and I will soon be standing together at a fork in the road. One direction leads me back to my home that I have always known and loved. The other path is for my son to walk alone. He doesn’t appear to be afraid so logic tells me, why should I?

How have the years gone by so quickly? I’m reminded of the play, Our Town where the young girl watches in dismay at her family’s existence in a day of their ordinary lives. She cries out, “Take me back, take me back! Please give me one more day (and 18 years) to live again.”

How could I have allowed all these years to slip through my fingers without fully appreciating my life with my child?

There will no longer be weekend nights of wondering what time my child will be coming home. There will no longer be quick errands that can’t possibly wait till the next morning.

I won’t miss the gas tank in the car registering empty and waiting for me to fill it or feeling guilty when asking to borrow my own car. I won’t miss rinsing the dirty dishes and putting them into the dish washer. (I don’t know how many times I’ve reminded him, more than I care to remember.)

I will no longer need to push the den coffee table back into place after he has used it for a meal. I won’t miss seeing the scattered clothes on his bedroom floor waiting for me to pick up and wash (Lord knows I made a big mistake on this one) or notice his bed that hasn’t been made for years, (OK, so I made up for it here).

I won’t miss hurrying to take a shower so he wouldn’t be late for school or waiting till the bathroom is free while he does who knows what in there. I won’t miss waking up in the middle of the night wondering if the sound of the back door opening was only my imagination.

And maybe if I remind myself of all these things I won’t miss, I’ll be able to convince myself that this is nature’s way. He has grown up right before my eyes and I am truly proud of him.

And so my dear child, I will miss you. I will miss you more than you will ever know. It is said that there is no stronger love than between a mother and her child.

You have taught me well and I can only hope that you have learned from me.

Your wings are set for flight. Soar high my child, with love...

– Karly Paul-Morris is a contributing columnist for the Now newspaper.