When He Flew the Nest

That day heading to the airport filled me with utter despair. I experienced a mix of anxiety and sadness. Anxiety because of international travel as the pandemic was waning but still not done with.

That 2-hour ride to the airport was peppered with little conversation, as each of us was lost in thought. Old Hindi songs played in the car filling the silences. Familiar roads sped past, a sunny afternoon was slowly turning into a weepy evening.

Nothing new for Bengaluru which sees all four seasons regularly on an average day. As we pulled into the parking lot, heavy rain that we encountered on the way had magically subsided, and sun broke through the clouds.

We picked up the large bag along with the backpack and a smaller carry-on luggage. With a heavy heart, we marched towards the Departure Terminal.

Grabbing a chocolate chip cookie and tea, we tried to make small talk but gave up. We had come to the airport to bid the older son goodbye. He was traveling to the US to join in-person classes for his undergraduate course.

This was his first solo international travel. Pandemic fears were easing, but far from over. India was still only operating bubble flights to countries. And US was not welcoming visitors except the very essential.

Waving goodbye to my little big boy, as he entered the departure terminal filled me with an incredible sadness. Finally the day had arrived when he was stepping out of the comfort of his childhood home and treading into new territory.

Yes, I was happy that he was finally going to enjoy a real college experience after spending a year of online classes. But the gaping hole that a child who flies the nest leaves behind for the parents and the sibling is hard to fill, at least initially.

We had been preparing for this day over months, cherishing each extra day that he got to spend with us. Last few weeks were filled with frenetic activity. Lists, shopping, vaccination, tests, paperwork, family visit.

Yet, when the day dawned it wasn’t easier. Each of us left behind was grappling with it in our own way. Younger son was the most distraught as his childhood companion and brother left home. The thing with older siblings is that you most realize their value when they don’t live with you.

The husband and I were also deeply affected, but we kept up a calm exterior. Tears came later. Ride back home from the airport was quiet and lonely despite the three of us being together. And Coco, I really don’t know what he felt.

It took us almost 3-4 days to pull ourselves together and resume our workout, work and routine without feeling constant melancholy.

Such is life! Our children come into our lives bringing with them a lifetime of memories. And then as is the circle of life, they move on to create their own life.

As a parent, the best thing you can do for them is to enable them and then let them go to make their own mistakes and relish their successes. All the while hoping that your upbringing has made them sensible and ready to face the challenges of the world.

Always a responsible child, the young man came into his own when living solo. Over video calls daily, we are in touch with what is going on in his life. He makes time in his busy schedule to speak at length.

He calls us together and sometimes individually taking special care to speak to his sibling who took his absence the hardest. I always knew he was mature and sorted. Glad to see it unfold in how he has handled everything in his path so far.

I wonder how it was for my parents. Of course, I lived with them till my graduation, but staying away for post graduation must have taken a toll on them. I guess, it is the same for all parents. Very tough, no matter when the child leaves home.

It’s like a new phase in life is beginning. We have slowly settled into a routine where we have made peace with the new normal. His childhood home as he knew it will not be blessed with his constant presence any more.

We are starting afresh, just like he has done in a place far away. That he is happy and thriving keeps us happy as well.

Thank God for technology which keeps us connected on a daily basis. I can’t help but remember how when I was in college, I could speak to my parents once a week.

The inter-state calls were expensive, and we spoke only little. I could not share the mundane daily things with them. It was like they were almost cut off for two years of my life.

Mobile phones, internet and WhatsApp came so much later. How would they have adjusted not speaking to their child for days on end? It is only after we become parents that we actually understand our parents better, isn’t it?

I am looking forward to heading to the same airport to receive him when he comes home for holidays. The next time dropping him off when he heads back after his break will not be as heart wrenching.

Time prepares you and helps you adjust. Now, the younger son is basking ( or should I say flinching) in all the solo attention that he gets from his parents. 🙂

And his favourite retort of how much we favour the older son is neutralized. 😉 Adjustments, I kid you not!