Make Way for Ducklings

Yesterday there was a mother duck in our neighborhood and her nine baby ducklings.

It really delighted me.

I was taking a walk with my friend Stephanie and had to call my kids on my cell phone and tell them to COME RIGHT NOW AND LOOK AT THESE DUCKS! 

I also had to admire/worry about the mother duck.  The lady had guts.  She'd strut out onto the street (without looking both ways) without caring if there was a car coming or not.  Her ducklings waggled after her.

Things are happening around here.  If you hear a cracking sound it's my heart breaking a little bit.  Braeden's going to part of school next year and Emma likely for the entire day (a longish story for another day).

Yesterday we went to the middle school to get Braeden registered.  Heady with the thoughts of How Grown Up I Am Now, Braeden started talking to me about when he'll be driving.  He thinks it will be just dandy and I...don't.

He decided a GREAT way to practice his driving would be, once he's sixteen and has a license, to drive by himself the nearly 800 miles to Nevada to visit my parents.  I laughed at him.  He said, "I'd take Emma and Mark."  Like that was going to make it better.  Then he said, "I'd leave early in the morning."  He was serious.  And I laughed at him again.

We stopped at Albertson's and he commandeered the shopping cart.  He said, "I'll push."  I looked hesitant I guess (I can't count the times the kid has accidentally run the cart into the backs of my legs in his 13 years) and Braeden said, "Come on, Mom.  It will give me practice driving."

So today it's hoping he doesn't run me down with a shopping cart and tomorrow it's hoping he doesn't run me down with a car.

Today it's registering him for middle school and tomorrow it will be him leaving me for the wide world.

I need to channel the dauntless mother duck.

I need courage.