By AMY SHANKLAND
Sandwiched
My column last week glossed over a topic that I’m sure many of us in the sandwich generation face with a mixture of joy and dread – the time when your oldest child moves out of the house.
Our son Jonathon, 20, recently got engaged to his beautiful (inside and out) fiancée, Maddie. Maddie is also 20 and has a great full-time job. She’s been talking about being on her own for quite some time.
We had promised Jonathon that he could live either on or close to the IUPUI campus starting his junior year, which starts this coming August. Even though the Catholic in me would prefer them to be married first, it just made complete sense for Jonathon and Maddie to get an apartment together.
So for months we’ve been perusing thrift stores and At Home to get them ready. We’ve given them some of our old furniture and treated ourselves to new pieces. And finally, last Saturday, the big day arrived.
Despite some issues with the truck rental company, the day turned out to be absolutely perfect for the trip to Indy. Both families pitched in and by 3:00, Jonathon and Maddie were moved in with numerous relatives helping to unpack and rearrange things.
My heart swelled with excitement for both of them. I knew he would learn so much through this experience – both good and bad – and get to be only 15 minutes from campus. My future daughter-in-law would get to test her wings, something she’s been quite eager about.
I’ve also been excited about taking over Jonathon’s old room! My husband and I are happily married, but have slept in separate beds for years for various reasons. I’ll be moving into Jonathon’s room and creating an office in our parlor where I currently sleep. With my company growing, this is perfect timing.
However … when I walked into that empty bedroom Saturday evening … my heart was no longer excited. I started to remember when the room was a nursery that later transitioned to a car and truck themed room with a fire truck bed. When it was filled with Legos, Hot Wheels cars, a Thomas the Train table … and later pre-teen drawings and paintings on one wall.
After I wiped away a few tears (which are appearing now as I type) I reminded myself that Jonathon was only 15 minutes away and that he was coming for dinner Sunday. We would also be taking him out to dinner when my sister came into town the next week.
I’m also grateful for the technology that can still keep us close to our sons no matter what the distance. It’s great to send a text or have a FaceTime call to just check in.
I know that this big step will continue to test my heart in the months to come, but I’ll continue to see the blessings and know that I’m lucky to still have them close by.