Childling

There is a time in a child's life  
when we realize  
they are no longer a child  
 
Wasn't I just in the delivery room
yesterday afternoon?
 
A beam of light  
outlines a young man  
no longer a little boy
and a hard realization  
that change is coming
all too soon
 
In less than two years  
he will be driving  
in less than four  
he will be graduating
 
We are destined  
to ask ourselves  
if we did the best we could  
with the time we had  
 
If we loved enough
if we guided in truth
if we provided enough  
room for choices  
of their own  
 
Whether we agreed
or not
 
That answer varies  
per individual
 
For me, the answer will come  
not when he has to be here  
for holidays or afterschool
 
but when he returns  
on his own  
for a homecooked meal  
or a heart-to-heart  
with his Nana
who loves him  
more than anything  
in this world
 
as the child he was
and the adult he becomes
regardless of his choices