Proud mama

I may have mentioned a time or twenty that our oldest son is now employed. Over the weekend, I dragged our family and my visiting friend to see the boy in action. I cannot convey how strange it is to see the boy you nursed, changed, sang to, read to, dressed, bathed, snuggled with, and carried on your hip serving up fast food to strangers. I am so proud of him. He made good eye contact, was courteous, at ease, and closed each purchase with a "Y'all have a good day!". Brought a tear to my robotic eye. This is the transition that I could never really prepare for. This person we brought into the world and tried to teach, is now taking all we gave and putting it into practice. We aren't there to whisper from the sidelines if he forgets. He is a good boy. I am so proud of him. We may disagree on so much, but in the end, I must now take him at his face value as a person, not just my son. He will have opinions that will differ from mine, his friends will be foreign to me, his work ethic will be his to control. From all indications, I will be proud to call him friend, when I can no longer claim him as my baby.