On vacay

The doc and I are with friends at the Atlantis resort in the Bahama Islands.

We used to visit here often when the kiddos were younger. We celebrated birthdays here. We watched our tweenies collect plastic bracelets; one for everyday that they spent on the slides. One of them wore my pearls with her first little black dress. Too young to be in the casino area, they would walk slowly behind us whispering “red” or “black.” We’d place “hit and run” bets on their colors and we always won. We would then take them to Lalique or Tiffany to claim their portions of the gain. Ash and Little Bit had their first teen club experiences here and I’m sorry today that they aren’t with us.

Both girls love this place, but Ash is married and has a child too young to come. Little Bit was offered the trip, but she didn’t want to come because we were having friends along. Little Bit and Ash are hanging out in NOLA, together, and I’m at Atlantis feeling like limbs are missing. Every restaurant, shop, and staircase has a story attached.

My girls are grown and no longer need me for day to day support. They are sisters and friends, and they share a bond that I couldn’t imagine ten years ago. It seems like yesterday that they were fighting over the covers and whether or not to tell us that Ash got a phone number from a boy.

I usually write about libertarian ideas here, and although this seems off topic, it isn’t. People think that libertarians are old, rich, white guys but we are also women and mothers.

My girls are the epitome of the libertarian dream; they are independent young women who share strong bonds with family and community. They are exactly what I would dream of in a perfect world, but being proud of their accomplishments doesn’t lessen the pain of letting them go.

I tell myself that if we’ve done it correctly, they leave us early and visit often. I think I’m right, but I’m not dead yet. Although my experience is limited by that not dead qualifier, this felt important to articulate now.

~ by Miche on August 15, 2007.