Roots and Wings

Child 1 and I left the house 90 minutes ago heading off on the 30 minute trip to her school where she boarded a coach which was the first leg of her trip to New York. The dark and silent morning disturbed by her quiet, excited chatter about everything she was going to see and do. I was struck by her youth, her inexperience, her innocence and the excitement of something new that I remember from my younger days. As we grow, we experience new things which become old things, some which create happy memories and others tainted by experiences that are not so good. All of these experiences are important as they are what mould us to be the people we are today, I guess that we shouldn't allow the bad to outweigh the good because that would  make us scared and jaded about life.
I hate goodbyes, always have done and as my emotions lie close to the surface I often shed a tear or lots. I am lucky that for the most part child 1 and I have a fantastic relationship and so I got a huge hug and kiss goodbye with an "I love you mum" as she boarded the coach with her friends, I shed a few tears as I waved her off and a fair few more in the car on the journey home.

I am excited and nervous for her, this is her first flight without us, her first really big trip without her family but, what an amazing place to visit. Of course I can't help but worry about her too, after all the media tends to share the scary, dangerous parts of any given place and New York is definitely not the safest of places to visit. But to not travel because of fear of the unknown is not what I want for myself, talk about any of my children, it's so important for them to go, to visit, to experience everything life has to offer them.

As I drove home the sky began to brighten and the trees stood silhouetted against the backdrop of what looked like a beautiful day arriving, we live in a valley and as I came across the hilltops bringing me home I could see the mists swirling below me like a lake. Spring is definitely on its way. Once home I headed into the garden to let the chickens out and no longer was there silence but a cacophony of birds chattering and calling. This made me think about the importance of us giving our children wings, encouraging them to go out into what is for the most part a wonderful world, to take the occasional risk and to enjoy living. After all home will always be here waiting for them, a place to share their experiences, to rest and recover and to prepare for the next adventure.