I’m sporting two new bruises since my return from UND, and no, nobody beat me up!

The first one, a quarter-sized yellow-green splotch on my left forearm, appeared after I banged my arm on the side mirror of my car while I was packing to head north to South Bend. It’s not too bad, really — being in the middle of my arm, it doesn’t inconvenience me and it only hurts if I touch it (I know, so don’t touch it already!).

The one I received most recently is now a nickel-sized purple and green spot on my left palm, at the base between my ring and little fingers (palmistry afficionados probably have a fancy name for that spot, but I have no inkling what it could be!). I got it helping My Favorite Domer haul some winter woolies upstairs to his dorm room. I wasn’t paying attention and tripped up one stairstep; hey, at least nobody was around, so neither of us were embarrassed! Anyway, that spot is truly bothersome. It hurts too much for me to play rope-tug with my puppy (a game he loves), so I can only use my right hand and when it gets tired, game’s over (much to his chagrin!). It also means I have to be really careful holding his leash on our walks. Looking on the bright side, at least it doesn’t interfere with my typing!

You know, it’s one thing to have physical bruises, outward signs of an injury of sorts. It’s another thing to have emotional bruises. Those are the little hurts we all get, and inflict on others, every day. As a parent, you want to shield your kids from these, but maybe that’s not in their best interests. As my dad often said, “There’s enough pain in this old world for all of us.” I suppose he was right. Maybe a better thing for parents to do is to teach their kids to be sensitive to others and try hard not to spread more pain.

I’ve just returned from a four-day visit with my only son (hereinafter referred to as My Favorite Domer!) during Fall Break week at the University of Notre Dame.

Because “MFD” is enrolled in the First Year of Studies, he isn’t allowed to have a car on campus yet. He really wanted to stick around South Bend for Fall Break, so when he suggested I take a few days off, and come up, I jumped at the chance. I hadn’t seen “MFD” since I dropped him off one rather rainy, cool day two months ago, and I’ve gotta tell ya, changes have taken place!

Campus itself is robed in splendor — the trees have donned the reds, oranges, and golds of autumn, and an often-brisk wind is seeking to yank those leaves right off and spin them to the ground. One thing’s for sure, this annual ritual is keeping the maintenance crews busy!

“MFD” has changed, too. He’s taller, leaner, and even more capable than he was just a few weeks ago. Of course, he’s had to do things like manage his own time (which includes getting himself up for class in the mornings and falling asleep at night), wash his own laundry, arrange for his own meals (and make healthy choices!), find a doctor when he doesn’t feel well, plus all the other things college students do when they can’t come home every weekend.

I’m ecstatic over the changes! Part of me misses the little boy who used to bring me dandelions (“flowers, mommy!”), but it feels good to have him settling in like this. I believe we parents are charged with giving our kids roots and wings — roots so they’ll always have sturdy soil to cling to in life’s hard times, and wings so they’ll have the courage to fly. This is an ongoing process. Sometimes you wonder if they’ll ever grow up, and then suddenly, you realize they’re doing it, right before your eyes!

As a Writer and Web Designer, I’ve decided to keep a journal (of sorts!) to catalog this four-year passage of time. Some of the topics I plan to muse about include Trials and Tribulations, Successes, Photos, and others. I hope this blog will serve as a resource for parents whose sons and daughters are considering ND (or other colleges); I hope it will be a trip down Memory Lane for those whose offspring have already passed through this phase, and I hope it will update/inform those whose sons and daughters are undertaking this adventure right now.

If I’ve missed something, or erred in fact, please let me know — I welcome your comments and other insights!