Class of 2017? What the...

So it’s 2013, right? 2017 is right around the corner. Just yesterday it was 1999 and I was holding this little four month old baby on New Year’s Eve waiting for the world to fall apart at the stroke of midnight. If that was yesterday, I should be packing him up for college around dinnertime tonight. I can’t stand it. Stop the clocks, don’t turn another page on your calendar, my baby CANNOT be going to high school.

I’m happy for him, really I am. He’s a good kid and he has done exceptionally well. He still needs me to put the sunscreen on his back and to fry him an egg. Of course, he still needs a chauffeur and access to my money. But some of his homework has surpassed my intellectual abilities. He’s taller than me and just plain bigger than me. Theoretically though, he can survive without me. He just might not ever flush a toilet but I guess you can survive without flushing.

I remember my high school days so vividly. And I can’t wait for Alex to make those memories. On second thought, I can wait. Maybe that’s what’s scaring me about this whole getting older thing. The world gets bigger and scarier and I’m less in control of what happens. I trust him and I love his group of friends, but knowing what’s coming up for him thrills me and scares the crap out of me. Instead of listening for cries in the night, you wait for a text or a phone call. And I am not ready for that. But you know I have a hard time with new beginnings. I have no choice. It’s time to suck it up and hold my breath and let him get older.

Here’s the deal though, when I see this big kid towering over me I really only see this little guy…and this little guy isn’t ready for high school.

Julie Farley lives in Richmond, VA with her husband, four rarely quiet children, and her 50 pound lap dog. She chronicles her adventures on her blog, Julie’s Odyssey. You can find Julie on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. When she’s not with her children, Julie writes romance novels for mamas.