Parenthood’s Long Goodbye: This is When We Let Go.

At my daughter’s preschool, they called it the waving window. It was at the back of the classroom and at morning drop-off, your child could climb onto a step stool with their teacher, look out the window and wave goodbye as you made your way to the exit gate.

Terrible idea, right?

I couldn’t watch her tiny face in the window, tears and snot flowing, perfect little hand waving to and fro like a toddler queen in a parade. My husband saved me by doing drop off each day. For maybe six months, he stood in the school’s courtyard waving to her, making funny faces, walking backwards all the way to the gate.

Later, I got to do afternoon pick-up: the reverse of all of that crying and sadness. I was able to walk in and spy my happy girl hard at work on a Montessori “job” or gleefully riding a trike around the courtyard — then see her spot me, break into the biggest smile and run into my arms like we’d been apart for weeks.

Tomorrow, we will be taking her to college and there will be no waving window, no trike and no reunion after only a few hours. I will be the one covered in tears and snot and there’s no way even my husband can spare me. Or I, him.

In the years since those preschool days, our family has grown by one son and has shuttled between a million soccer games and dance classes and…