My Son Is Moving To Seattle

Michele Kerr

Michele Kerr lives in California, for her sins.

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12 Responses

  1. Michele Kerr says:

    Thanks to Ordinary Times for publishing this–it’s always been one of my favorite pieces.

    As an update: I have two grandkids!Report

    • Maribou in reply to Michele Kerr says:

      My number one question while waiting for this to publish after proofing it was “what’s the update?” – so thanks for putting that out right away.

      And hurrah for grandkids!Report

    • Some other updates:

      He’s still in sales, doing very well. My daughter in law left her job after she was pregnant with their second child, a son. My granddaughter has my extremely curly hair, which makes me unreasonably proud.

      They have bought a house north of Seattle. But the whole area is extremely expensive, and they are currently planning on capturing their mortgage gains and moving somewhere less pricey. I’m hoping for North Carolina.Report

    • atomickristin in reply to Michele Kerr says:

      Huge congrats, Michele!Report

  2. Aaron David says:

    Six months ago, I helped my son move across the country. Sacramento to Philadelphia. I too am proud of him, along with missing him. This is wonderful Michele, thank you.Report

  3. Em Carpenter says:

    Love this, as a mother to young boys. They’re elementary school age, so I have time. But when they do go off to live their lives, I hope that I can have the healthy perspective that you have.Report

  4. Mike Dwyer says:

    This was a really good read Michele. Thank you for sharing this.Report

  5. atomickristin says:

    I loved this.

    I have two adult sons 26 and 22 that I had when I was quite young. I was married but my husband worked constantly during the older boys’ childhoods so I was to all intents and purposes, a single mom. As they grew older I got so nervous about the empty nest that I had 2 more sons and a daughter (my oldest was 21 when my youngest was born).

    A few years ago, my husband, the younger children, and I moved about 2 hours from our older boys. I rarely see them now for a variety of reasons, and while we talk often it’s not the same. It felt like someone cut off my right arm and my left, and to be honest I’m still not recovered and probably will never be. Even when the nest isn’t totally empty it is still everything you’ve captured so well here. Thanks so much for posting.Report

    • Decades ago, I remember hearing the old maxim, “A son is a son til he takes him a wife. A daughter’s a daughter the rest of your life” and thinking lord, what horsepucky.

      But there’s a depressing amount of truth to it. Paradoxically, the more independent and capable you raise your son, the less he’ll need you–and the more he’ll have responsibilities and other attachments that pull at him. That’s the job of a good parent. But it’s a big change.

      Every time I go up to visit, though, we have some time just for the two of us, and those times feel the same.Report

      • atomickristin in reply to Michele Kerr says:

        Probably because I have 4 sons I have never liked that expression, LOL. I’ve never been very close with my mom so I had hoped maybe it really was horsepucky! 🙂Report

  6. My father once warned me, “You wake up one day, and somebody walks down the stairs, and you don’t completely recognize me.” My own daughter is now 17. I understand now what he was talking about.Report