Oh, the excitement! You’d think ds17 has been away for months rather than just four weeks, and that we hadn’t seen him 2.5 weeks ago when we went to the airport together to see dd15 off to Israel. But when he called this morning to say he was on his way back, I felt so excited, and I heard the same thing in his voice.
Everyone was thrilled when he got home. I didn’t expect ds16mo to really remember him, but he reached out to be held by ds17 right away, and then when he was passed to someone else while ds got his suitcase out of the car, kept trying to touch him. We had a late lunch soon after he got home and then the kids all went out to put the sukkah up together. I just sat on the patio in the middle of all of the action, enjoying the feeling of having so many of the kids working together and enjoying each other. It was really, really, nice.
I’m not quite sure how long he’ll be home, but at least for two weeks. We’ve changed our routine so it isn’t glaring on a daily basis that dd17 and dd15 aren’t here (which it would be if our routine had stayed the same), but now that he’s back, the empty space that we weren’t really noticing consciously feels full again. Ahh. 🙂 🙂 🙂
Avivah
So nice! Your son is such an inspiration to me. Your successes with the oldest two going away to learn has helped me to think good thoughts (rather than worries) about the time when my kids will be old enough to go off on their own as well. 🙂 Enjoy Sukkos together!
Thank you for saying that, Shoshana! I’d love to write more about how incredibly well both ds17 and dd15 are doing since I think it would be very encouraging to those who are afraid if you homeschool your kids won’t have the requisite skills. But my policy is not to write too many specifics about them, even if it would all be positive. In short, I’ll say that I’m proud of how well my kids have adapted to different venues/people/environments, while maintaining their standards and keeping their sense of self.
Dh and I were talking last night about the nachas we’re now experiencing as the kids are getting older. You can’t go wrong by investing time and emotion in your children; I’m experiencing how that you invest comes back to you manifold.
I think toddlers have an amazing memory for siblings. They just don’t always know how to express it. My ds (now 9, but then under 2) managed his first sentence when he had to say goodbye to his sister at an airport (Chana Aidel airplane bye bye. – come on. don’t you think that’s a sentence?). At that age he already exhibited the same behavior I’ve seen in him every time she’s ever left after a visit in the ensuing years. And while we feel like a whole family even without her here, there’s an almost imperceptible gap in our lives that fits her perfectly, and we feel somehow more complete, together, happy, when she’s here.
Enjoy your time together! Chag Sameach!