Becoming a Young Man

Our one and only teen left this morning for an "Outdoor Education" class, sponsored by Sahel Academy. He was excited and delighted - 3 days off school, exploring in a W. African game park with his buddies,... a trip away from home - and Mom and Dad! I remember my first trip away (I flew on a plane to Coco Beach, Florida to compete in a swim meet... and I was only 10 years old!) and that incredible sense of freedom. I know he's been looking forward to this and it has been fun to watch his growing initiative and responsiblity: he nagged his dad until he took him to the market to get a flashlight, washed his own laundry and packed his own bag without asking for help, made sure his room was picked up before he left (and I didn't have to say anything), made arrangements to have a snack made to share while on the trip (and then he left it at home this morning... oh well, he's still a young man in the making...).

I'm excited and delighted for him... so how come, as I wrote a friend this morning, "Why are there all these butterflies in my tummy for him?... Or are they for me?... Letting him go off like that?... So big and yet still such a little boy?..."