Sometimes, your friends post just what you need to see on Facebook. And I'm passing it on, in case there are other parents who need it.
I was sitting in a hotel room, the night before our daughter's graduation, and I saw this on a friend's Facebook page.
It's called "An Open Letter to the Parent Crying at Graduation (From a mom who survived it)". Yes, it's written about high school and my daughter was getting out of college... but this hit me hard:
"I’ve realized the secret to surviving my kids leaving the nest is to be fully present with them, looking forward to the future through the lens of their life, not backwards through the lens of my life."
Wait. It's not about me. It's all about her. It's not about the sacrifices we've made to get her here, or how time has flown. It's about her.
Take the camera out of selfie mode, Mom... turn it around and capture the moment when the bird flies from the nest. Because really, if we do our job right, that's what's supposed to happen. They're supposed to fly away.
So I did that. I got the video of her crossing the stage and getting her diploma. I posted on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. A lot.
The one thing I didn't do was grab the tissues in my purse. Didn't need them.
She did it!!! And my eyes are dry. (My hair's a mess, but who cares?!)