ALL THE WOMEN WHO ARE INDEPENDENT

I had a conversation with my daughter this morning that went a little something like this:

Me: "Honey, if it's okay with you, I'm just going to drop you off at piano lessons today and then come back and pick you up after you're done. I know I stayed last week [her first time], but I think you can do it on your own this time."

Her: "Um, Mom? I just want you to let me out of the car and I will go up to the door by myself."

Now, I don't know why I expected her to want me to stay for the whole lesson. I guess I just expected a 4 1/2 year old to not want to be dropped off somewhere and have her mom leave. Even at preschool, I walk her in and help her put her stuff in her cubby and find her seat and everything - and she's been going there for a year and a half. But, hearing her response this morning just made me sad. Like, she can do this on her own (which is a good thing) and is learning to be independent (also very good). I guess I was just sad to realize that she KNOWS she can do it alone and doesn't need me there every step of the way.

Cut to a few hours later. I pull up to her piano teacher's house, open her car door for her and watch as she carefully tucks her piano books under one arm and just marches up to the front door. She rings the doorbell and waits patiently. When her teacher opens the door, she turns around and waves to me, walks into the house and then she's gone. I just stood there on the driveway, in ankle-deep snow, and the image of that little girl, in her snow boots and giant green parka, standing at the front door with her books, looking and acting and being so big was forever burned into my mind.

When I picked her up a half hour later, she jumps into the car and says, "Wow, Mom. That was so fun!"

And my heart broke just a little.