Things are calmer in the nest these days. It could be due to the fact that Alex knows I’ve aired our dirty laundry in front of the whole world (well… at least in front of the handful of people who read this). Or it could be because we’re winding down to his last days at home.
Is this why we’re getting along better now?? All I know is, in the last few days, the following miracles have occurred:
- We have stopped arguing about every little nitpicking thing.
- He went to his father’s fiancée’s house for the first time and was, in Chalie’s words, “a perfect gentleman.” I know that couldn’t have been particularly easy for him, so I’m really proud that he made the effort.
- Sunday night, I came home from the shore to a sink full of dirty dishes. When I asked him to clean up, he did so without an argument – even going so far as scrubbing the stainless steel sink until it was gleaming!
I think the reality of it all is hitting him hard now. His friend Chris left for Basic Training today, so he knows his time is very close now. We’re going on a family vacation next week to Orlando, so when we get back, he’ll only have a few days to spend with family and friends before he has to leave.
Alex is realizing how cut off he’s going to be, not just from family and friends, but from other things he enjoys. He’ll have no cell phone and no Internet access. That means he will be completely cut off from his friends. They are a really tight bunch of guys – they have been since middle school. So for him to be cut off from them is almost as bad as being cut off from his family. Ok, who am I kidding? It’s probably worse.
While Alex is in Basic Training, you will be too. You will be learning to adjust to being "mom" in a different way, from afar, and I'm sure it will be challenging. (but, thankfully, it will not be like a ropes course or waking at the crack of Christ to a bugle.) You must be so proud of him as he follows his dreams. Be proud of yourself, as well, because you gave him the courage to do that.
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