The truth is, it was sad for me to. You see, I am supposed to be the one who moves away. I do the leaving. Working in the seasonal hospitality industry, it was my normal routine to move somewhere, make 2-3 close friends, and then wave good-bye as our contracts came to an end. Some tears, some sincere attempts to keep in touch, and then we'd simply find ourselves on our merry way. There are a few people I've kept in contact with over the years, but the reality of distance and time usually take their toll. Thinking back on the fabulous people I've been blessed to know makes me smile and hold back tears simultaneously, but that's the life I have become accustomed to.
So when I tell you my boys' best friends moved away, I must also say that one of my good friends has moved away as well. And it's a very new feeling to be the person left behind, to watch somebody else do the leaving. Not because there aren't other people to hang around with, and not because I needed that relationship to validate me. Rather, because the event represents everything changing in my life as settled down mother of four in suburban America.
Beck, Peyton, and I of course have other friends. For me that is still the same as before-a small group of beautiful people who make me better just by knowing them. Our old friends came into our lives when we joined an in-home Joy School, and now we've joined a new homeschool play group where we're getting to know a brand new group of people. Our lives will go on, they will just never be quite the same.
How have you helped your children deal with friends moving away?
