Proud parents?

June 22, 2012

This week I’ve found myself moving furniture, collecting bin bags and washing – mountains of washing!  Have I moved house – NO; am I doing charity work cleaning beaches (take a look at Sydney’s rubbish problems http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18516349 ) – NO; have I opened a laundry – NO!

This week I collected my eldest son from his university digs after 3 years completing a BA (Hons) in Business & Marketing.  Looking at the state of the kitchen, Microbiology would seem to be his preferred subject or scan the garden and you would think Botany was what he’d been studying – that is if growing weeds, propagating shopping trolleys and sculpting cigarette butts was entailed!

But now we can welcome our eldest back into the fold of our home, bring some order and clean clothes to his life and show him the benefits of eating fresh fruit and vegetables because a MacDonalds milkshake does not constitute 1 of your 5 a day! 

Have I missed him – of course but knowing there will never be any cereal left in the cupboard even though I did the shopping yesterday and ‘yes’, one person can actually use 11 mugs in one day and repeatedly not be able to find the dishwasher (ps. It’s the big white appliance under the draining board) will start to diminish my maternal joy in a few weeks days.

But this time, this return – it’s different.  I know the visit (and that’s what it is) will be short-lived, he will hardly have time to empty the 24 bin bags he returned with before his Masters starts in September, he has plans to travel with friends – old and new, and the rest of his life lies ahead of him – no wonder the trivia of cleanliness, order and nourishment aren’t his main concerns.

He’ll learn and his priorities will change. Will ours? From the moment he was born we became proud parents, have we changed – NEVER. Proud parents – you bet!

Tracey Daley