The deluge has begun. My girls did well on standardized tests. Really well. Hence their abrupt popularity with college recruiters. Back in my day promotions were exclusively on glossy paper, but now they are digital as well. I stack their mail by the dinner plates which adds to the conversation.
"Excellent student/teacher ratios!"
"Generous scholarships available!"
"Lush campus!"
"Broad choice of majors!"
The girls tossed out of hand any offers that included sloppy grammar or dangling participles. Words are their window to the world and they are adamant that there be no smudges.
We chat as if this decision is no more consequential than what they will wear to the dance, or whether to volunteer for service hours this weekend. But selecting a college has an impact on where they will live, what they might learn, whom they will meet and how long it could be until I see them again.
Anyone paying attention knows that all things being equal, our children grow up and move away. But knowing that and living it are vastly divergent experiences.
You could call me inconsistent. There were occasions when my offspring left home sooner than I expected. Or later. But these are the youngest. When they walk out the door and into their new life the quiet that settles in behind them will be like the hush when you wake up to three feet of snow.
