Off to school...

Today is a big day in the Kimmel household. Our son Ethen drove to school by himself for the first time. Of course, mom and I were following him to remember this occasion; don’t all parents do this?? As we followed him to school, it dawned on me that not only is this a big day for him, but it is significant to us as parents. For the first time in his life, he

truly does not have us there to tell him what he needs to do and what needs to be done; split second decisions must now be made by him. Sure we have to trust him on his own when he is with friends, but this is different. Not only is he responsible for his life and safety, but for those driving around him as well. When he learned to walk, we were right there to keep him from hitting his heard on the floor or table. When he was learning to drive his Power Wheel, we were there to keep him from running in to walls and trees. Long gone are the days of a small wobbly toddler with chunky cheeks looking up smiling at us; we now look at each other eye-to-eye. Today his mother and I begin the joyous and painful journey of letting go as he begins to grow into a man.