Steffie Returns To College

Early this morning… OK, early for me, not the rest of the world… Helaine loaded up the car, and Steffie, and headed back to college. Spring break has ended.

This was a wonderful time to be with Stef. I know, it’s the kiss of death for next time, but it was very nice having her home.

Every family has conflicts, and we had a few, but they were mainly minor and quickly gone. More importantly, none of us – not Helaine, Steffie nor me, ever took that one fatal step when someone in a dispute throws gasoline directly on the fire.

It gets better.

Sometime, midway through the break, Stef started talking about school and her attitude toward it. It was a philosophical discussion on her part. She wasn’t talking about specific actions in specific courses but school in general.

What she said showed a maturity and understanding of the big picture I hadn’t seen before. Could a parent ask for more? I was very pleased.

She was very pleased too.

This has been a year of big changes for Steffie. She’s living with other kids in close quarters, on her own, without constant parental guidance. She’s sharing a tinier space with her roommate. It must be culture shock for my only child. Yet her life seems to be full and happy.

This is the real world – it’s not perfect. It never will be. But, this is a great start.

After this week I’m going to miss Steffie a lot… maybe more than when she left for college in the first place.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *