Last night my son Michael returned from visiting my brother in Nebraska. I was very excited because he was coming home a day early and I had missed him terribly. The house was just too quiet without him and his sidekick Zach.

At his request I had kept my texting to just below stalker status. I made sure to talk to him at least once a day so on Tuesday when the phone rang and it was him I was ecstatic. It only took me a few seconds to realize he had “butt dialed” me by accident. I guess two calls a day is just too much to expect from a 14 year old boy but a mother can dream, can’t she?

As soon as he landed the texts started coming in. Every friend of his must have been on the Southwest website waiting for his arrival. Thank goodness they don’t drive or he would have just bypassed me all together and gotten a ride from them.

He came home and chatted with his sister and me while responding to a million texts from friends. It wasn’t long before I got the question I had been dreading, “Can I go to Zach’s?” Every fiber of my being wanted to say “NO!!! I haven’t seen you in a week.” but I remember being his age and how important friends were so I let him go.

They grow up so fast. I remember having to buy a larger chair for our family room because Michael had to sit by me all the time. I can still see his little face pressed up against the window crying when I would leave for work.

So now I am the one looking out the window as he leaves and wishing I could have that little blonde haired boy back for just one night. I thought I was the master of enjoying whatever stage they were at but that was because I hadn’t gotten to the stage where they drive away….