Signing Up My Last Baby for Driver’s Ed

How are we here already?! The point in my life where all my babies are just about grown and flying the nest. 🥹 I know it’s cliché, but it truly feels like just yesterday I was having my first child. And now today, I’m signing up my last baby for driver’s ed, and I’m completely flooded with emotions. Life moves too quickly—for real.

The First Time Letting Go

Signing up my first child for driver’s ed was a complete nightmare for me. I didn’t want to let go of her childhood, but of course, she was ready to spread her wings and fly. So, we signed her up, she did all the requirements and got her license. And just like that, my worry went into overdrive. 🤪

Thankfully, my second was eight years younger, so I had time to adjust (or so I thought).

Round Two: My Son

My middle child, my son, was just as eager as his sister to start driving. Signing him up wasn’t any easier on my heart, but he flew through everything with confidence. Honestly, I think he was ready to drive when he was 10. 😂

Except this time, when he got his license, he didn’t just take a quick drive around town—he drove straight to the next state over because he had a hockey team to get back to. My worry skyrocketed about five notches higher than when his sister started driving.

And now, here we are again.

The Last One

This time, I only had two years before it was my last child’s turn. And now, it’s here. It’s time to pull the trigger and sign her up—but I don’t want to. I want her to stay my baby forever. 😭

I know she can’t (and my husband keeps reminding me of that, probably because he doesn’t think I fully believe it).

With my first, I was so focused on the nerves and the fear of letting go. With my second, I worried more about how quickly he was ready to take off on his own. But this time, it’s different. This time, there’s no ‘next child’ waiting in line to distract me from the fact that this is the last time I’ll go through this. No more driver’s ed sign-ups. No more sitting in the passenger seat, gripping the door handle for dear life. This is it, and that finality hits hard.

The teenage years fly by just as fast as the childhood years. And we’re always told to cherish every second, but how do you do that when life is happening all around you? You think you’re soaking it all in, and then suddenly, they’re 15, ready for driver’s ed, and you start questioning if you truly cherished all the moments leading up to this.

But I also remind myself how much I’ve changed as a mom. With my first, I was overly cautious, worried about every little thing. With my second, I learned to loosen my grip (even if it was just a little and more so because I had to). Now, with my last, I realize that no matter how much I try to slow time, it keeps moving. And maybe that’s okay. Maybe the beauty of motherhood is that we grow right alongside them. And just like they learn to trust themselves behind the wheel, we learn to trust that we’ve done our job.

Holding On While Letting Go

I know I’ll sign her up. I know she’ll go through all the steps just like her siblings did. I know she’ll get her license, and I’ll stand in the driveway watching her drive away for the first time, just like I did before. And I know my heart will break a little—just like it did before.

But I also know she’ll be ready.

And, somehow, I will be too.