Your granddaughter is driving

Hi Mom,

K got her driver's license! The test was actually Monday the 2nd. And we had that moment again where she drove away for the first time by herself. Without me in the car with her. And I got a little lump in my throat.

I remember when her older brother drove off by himself for the first time. It surprised me then, too, the hugeness of the moment.

They're growing up, Mom. What a bizarre feeling. They've been dependent on me for their entire lives. And now, they hate me. Haha kidding! Well, OK maybe sometimes...

Kids need you and need you and then they don't quite need you as much. And then they need you a little less. And less. And less often. And it really is tough to let them go. Not because you don't want to. I think it's more because it's not easy for us to loosen such a close bond.

And so you wrestle with it. Give them some freedom, worry that it's too much, pull back, they get upset, repeat. But the trendline is headed towards their independence, and they eventually get there. I''m bumbling through it. It ain't pretty. But we're getting there.

I'm sure gonna miss talking to you about stuff like this.

The hard part about your loss as it relates to the kids is that I'm realizing there's not a lot I can really do to help them through this. I'm here for them as much as I can be, but they really need to process this themselves and grieve in their own way. Grief is personal like that. I just wish I could help them more. Lessen their pain.

Anyway, I know you're proud of K. She misses you so much.

I miss you, too.

Love,
R