Every parent remembers the moment.
A kid on a small bike.
Training wheels rattling.
A helmet that looks two sizes too big.
The first few tries are always the same.
Wobbles.
A sudden stop.
A quick look back to make sure you’re still there.
Then one day you decide to try something new.
You take the training wheels off.
At first you run behind the bike holding the seat, jogging down the sidewalk while they pedal as fast as they can.
“Don’t let go!” they shout.
But eventually you do.
For a few seconds they ride without realizing it.
Balanced.
Confident.
Free.
Then they look back and see you standing in the street.
And suddenly they know.
They did it on their own.
That’s the strange thing about parenting.
For years your job is to hold on.
Until one day your job becomes letting go.
They didn’t need me the same way anymore.
And that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
Still…
that doesn’t make it easier.
Where this feeling leads next…
That’s when I realized time doesn’t wait
I didn’t know it was the last time
The chair no one sits in anymore
If this resonated with you, you’re not alone.
