Kids have two weeks of term holidays now and on the last day of school, Yaya worked out and told me “Mom, I only have 730 days with you before I go to University”

She will complete grade 10 in three months and another two more years, she will complete grade 12.

When she told me that she ONLY has 730 days more before she leaves home, I thought that meant, she is planning to spend as much time with me and cherish every moment. Read books, bake cookies ( she has a knack when it comes to baking cookies) do a bit of shopping, go to the beach, go for long drives, play few rounds of black jack etc etc.

I had everything planned.

School closed on Friday and she went Bush camping with her friends. She came back home yesterday afternoon, slept for a few hours and went for a sleepover at another friend’s house. This evening, I am to pick her up at 7 pm and am sure, she is only coming home to eat something spicy for dinner and tomorrow she will be visiting her friends, the same to be repeated till the end of school holidays.

Sometime ago, She had asked me “why do parents have kids when they know kids will leave home one day?” I answered “It is the moments that I had with each of them that forms my memories, that makes it worth the while”

Today, I am grateful that at least I managed to spend those precious moments with them when they were young, for that is all I have. Now my children are making their own memories and I am not part of that.