ON THE ROAD AGAIN...

I registered the kids for school yesterday.

We live in a very small town and our schools are consolidated with another very small town seven and a half miles up the highway. This time of year, that's 7 1/2 miles of corn fields (and a couple soybean fields) on either side of the highway. As I was looking at the fields during my drive I thought of my friend from New York who once said "It's so boring to look out and see nothing but flat fields for miles." To which I replied "But....but...these are the fields that feed the world."

Anyway, as I was driving up to the schools yesterday I was thinking of all the times I had made this trip. Trips to take The Smart One up early to study for a test. Trips to get the kids there because the bus simply didn't show up. Trips to pick up a sick child. Trips for practices and games - football, basketball, softball, volleyball, track. Trips to do my volunteer work at the school or to help with a class party. Trips to take The Princess up early so she could decorate a locker for somebody's birthday. Trips to pick The Smart One up from detention (for which he had to give me gas money).

There have been days I've made that trip three times. That's 45 miles in a day for school purposes. But always, when I drive up alone in the van, it feels better to have my young passengers with me on the way home. Well, ok, not always. Sometimes The Smart One was a little grumpy. But despite the smell of sweat that fills the van after football - or track - or basketball - or volleyball practice, it is good to have those 7 1/2 miles to hear about the kids' days. Especially with The Smart One, that seems to be when I got details about what's going on in his life. You know? What's REALLY going on. And with The Princess and her royal friends, I am always enlightened on who's going with whom, who wore what to school, what the expected big color will be for the dance, who's going to the mall or the movie that weekend. And giggling. Lots of giggling.

And nowI realize my trips will be dramatically fewer since The Smart One is driving. Don't get me wrong. It is truly liberating to have a child who drives. For instance, today while I sat around with an ice pack on my head to soothe my migraine, I was able to enlist The Smart One to drive The Princess and her friend to the pool. And yesterday when The Don brought pizza home for dinner and the kids asked for soda, I was able to toss 2 dollars at The Smart One and say "if you want soda, you can drive to the gas station and buy soda..." And when he tells me he wants to go to a friends house, or to the Y to lift weights, I no longer have to ask "What time?" or "Can his parents bring you home?" And when The Don and I had a date the other night, and I didn't want to fix dinner for the kids before we left, I handed The Smart One money and said "please drive your sister to the mall for some Chinese food." Not only do we not need a sitter anymore, but we can let them fend for themselves for supper too.

See? It's great.

But.

I am going to have much less time with my son now. And probably with my daughter too, since he will be taking her places. Funny how this road of parenthood seemed so long when the nurses were placing them in my arms; and how slowly we seemed to be moving down this road when we were in the throes of nursing, teething, diapers, sleepless nights.

And now?

This parenting road seems short. So Short.

And I, who have never had a speeding ticket, seem to be moving down this road too quickly.