My boy has moved!

I lost the bet; I cried at the airport. :)

Kids are off on their usual summer jaunt to their Dad's... but only my daughter will return; my son has decided to move in with his dad and become a Texan! Since he's starting high school this year (can you IMAGINE???) it was a logical year to make the transition if he was going to do it.

And, because I'm me and therefore incapable of feeling without analyzing :) I noticed a difference between feeling sad and being upset. I'm not upset about his moving. I don't tell myself any negative stories about it ('he doesn't love me, I'm being abandoned, etc.') I know he loves me; I'm fortunate in that I don't ever question that from my kids. And, I understand that a teenage guy really needs a DAD around as he's growing up, and that the ADHD probably will do better in the more structured household that isn't being run by a grown-up ADHDer. :) I'm excited that he has the opportunity, because he's going to get to go to a very good high school, one of the best in the country; and I'm proud of him for having the courage to take what is a big leap into the unknown for an almost-15-year-old.

And, even though I am not upset about his move, I am sad that I won't see him very often (yearly visits, like his dad gets now), and won't see the day-to-day changes, and be there when he comes home from his first date, and when he gets his license (OK, maybe I won't be sad about missing THAT part. I have enough grey hairs already, thanks! :) ) and all that. Little stuff, like not being with him on his birthday.

Ah, change. You'd think that since it's constant, we'd all get more used to it, but no one really seems to, do they?

Yay my daughter!

Who is doing quite well in her first time on stage. Not the world's greatest show, but sure better than the junior high productions I remember being student director for! And seriously, my daughter's doing great, and that's not just me being a fond mom, that's me being an ex-theater-geek. :)

(And PS, thanks to my Cali. family for the flowers! Since I know you found out about the show by reading this, I assume you'll get the thank-you if I post it here as well... :) She was really touched!)

I'm the mother of a queen!

Well, of a girl who's playing a Queen... my daughter got the role of Queen Aggravain in her school musical, "Once Upon A Mattress." They're doing a junior version of the show, which means Lady Larken isn't pregnant, and the "Man-To-Man-Talk" is completely cut out of it. But I guess that's better than having a couple parents horrified that anything remotely referring to sex is happening on stage.

So, this is my Mom karma. Because my mom spent my entire youth listening to me quote lines and hauling me to and from rehearsals... so now I get to do this with my daughter. :)

Actually, I'm looking forward to it. And very proud, as the standard wisdom around school was "sixth graders are never cast for big parts" (it's a 6-7-8 middle school).

So maybe I should listen to people and take her to Hollywood someday after all? :)