Our Neighborhood

I remember moving into our house when Desperate Housewives was just starting up and we were watching it every week.  I remember thinking it would be fun to get to know our neighbors and have neighborly get togethers (minus the scandal, sex, murder....).  

That never happened.

Our neighborhood is fairly quiet and for the most part people/families do their own thing.  After seven years of living here we know a few of our neighbors and very rarely do we ever hang out or do something together.

That's all changed in the last month, though.  Our neighborhood has come alive all because of the Bubsa Boo and the power of wanting to play.

I have to admit the first time he went over to his friend's house to play I was beyond nervous (and Mark was laughing at me).  Have we properly taught him how to cross the road?  What if while they're at the park a stranger comes up to him?  Is he saying please and thank you while playing at a friend's house?  What if he gets hurt and I'm not there?  Will he make good choices?  Is he being a good friend?  How well do we really know his friends' parents?  Will Anth be safe?

Again, Mark was shaking his head at all of my nervousness.  He knew Anth was ready.  He knew that playing with friends in the neighborhood is a good thing.  That's what he grew up doing in his own neighborhood as a boy in GR.

Three weeks ago Anthony and I went to his school to have hot lunch together with all of the other will-be-kindergartners next year.  While we were eating and talking and enjoying our date it hit me.  My Bubsa Boo is not my little Bubsa Boo anymore.  He's getting so big and so grown-up.  There's so many things he can do on his own and he's learned so much these last two years in preschool.  I was choking back tears as I realized he's ready for this.  All of this.   He's ready to enter kindergarten next year.  He's ready to play with friends in the neighborhood.  He's ready to have a little freedom and be in situations where he needs to make his own decisions.  

I was the one who wasn't ready.  I want to hold onto his toddler-hood a little longer in an attempt to make everything right/better/healed first before he moves onto the next stage of his life.  I wasn't ready to give all that up, but I need to be.  

He's so ready.  He's there.  I guess this mommy needs to do some catch-up and get into the next phase of his life too with the knowledge that everything will be okay.   It's a good reminder that it's all in God's time.  Not mine.