Travel Stories: Fledgeling

Reposted from October 10th, 2009

Bellingham, Washington

Yep, she's come a long way.

Today, I had work to do. My online students had piled up and I knew that I had to plow through them in a blaze of glory on my day off. It was a gorgeous day outside, but that describes almost every day here! So I decided it was time to buckle down and work.

My sister had no reason to stay in the hotel room with me, so she announced that she was headed off to Boulevard Park, which is about a ten-minute bus ride from here. "I'll be back at six," she said before grabbing her backpack, two bus tokens, and her wading shoes and heading out the door. I told her to have a good time.

Bellingham is generally a safe town, about as safe as my hometown. It has its bad neighborhoods, but they're fine for anyone during the day as long as one is careful. But even so, I had to focus hard on my students, focus hard on not worrying, and try to avoid thinking about all the terrible things that could happen to her. I think, for a few hours, I got a small touch of what parents must feel like all the time.

She came waltzing back in at 5:19, having spent time at the park drawing and watching the seagulls. I felt the weight of imagined responsibility lift from my shoulders, once again reminding myself that my sister is not so little anymore.

Still, it gave me an interesting perspective on children going off to do their own thing when so many dangerous situations are possible. How do parents stand it?

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As I write this today, my sister living two thousand miles away in California, I smile. 

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