Where did the little boy go???

Well, Adam has been officially gone -- at college -- for two weeks now. People keep asking me if I miss him. Up until today, I'd have to say, "Not really." But I have had a good excuse. As a teacher, I had to hit the ground running with the start of my school two days after we dropped Adam off. So, I really haven't had much time to even think about missing him.

This morning was another story though. As I reached for the fridge door, my eye caught a photo -- actually a group of photos in a clump under a magnet. My kids started a tradition several years ago of going into the photo booth at Great Adventure once each summer and taking goofy pictures. Each year they add the newest strip to the collection. As my hand reached for the milk, my eyes were drawn to this photo montage of my funny-faced kids squished into a photo booth mugging for the camera. That's when it hit me. I don't miss Adam per se. I miss his boyhood, his innocence, his lack of self consciousness. I miss his cute little boy expression, his gawky, skinny, long-necked puberty face, his not quite, but almost a man-ness. As cliche as it sounds, where did the time go?

Tonight I picked up the phone to hear Adam's voice saying cheerfully, "Hi Mommy!" I must admit -- being called Mommy instead of Mom made me feel like maybe the little boy is still in there somewhere...