My son has left home – and I feel full of complicated joy
I took him to university this weekend, and it reminded me of the exhilaration of suddenly having your own space, absolutely separate from your mother
TL;DR
- The author experienced mixed emotions when dropping her son off at university, a process that highlighted his need for independence.
- This event reminded her of her own university days and the exhilaration of having her own space, separate from her mother.
- She contrasts the intense disappointment felt when children's expectations diverge from parents' with the lesser pain of parental disappointment when children become adults.
- The author recalls the joy of being rejected by her son and the subsequent unexpected pleasure of receiving free chicken selects with his father.