It is almost as if time has turned back and life has come a full circle. Exactly five years ago, my daughter left for hostel and this July, my son did the same — both to pursue a career in law in different institutes. And was I, as a parent, more prepared the second time around? Not really.Following entrance examinations and its results, it was time for me to let my younger offspring fly the nest. Gaurav was finally getting the chance to do what he wanted and come into his own. But for me, it came as a ‘What will I do without him at home?’ moment.This reaction from a seasoned mom (Aakanksha had been down this five year route before in Pune) was surprising. And my friend, Ashwini, said, “The day he gave the National Law University entrance examination you should have been prepared for this moment. In fact, you should been ready for it when he enrolled for the classes a year ago.” Words from the wise indeed, but the heart — and in particular a mother’s heart — has its reasons.I thanked God for small mercies. The age gap between Aakanksha and Gaurav seemed just right, for she had returned home to roost in the kids’ room just a little while before he got ready to fly out of the nest and we had spent a good many days together. And now, in between her getting ready to work and outfit her wardrobe for her onward journey (metaphorically speaking) in life, she, with her inborn authoritarian nature, took charge of outfitting him for his. The resilience, optimism and cheerfulness of youth took over the canvas of my home. With just five days to prepare for his departure and with the house bustling with activity, there was little time to mope or think of what would happen when the lad, who only recently turned 18, left for Patna. The distance boggled my mind and imagination, as I made multiple lists of things he should take with him. So you can imagine the near bedlam that ruled our home then. There was shopping to be done. So, one afternoon Gaurav was whisked off to our favourite mall to pick and choose the clothes he needed. Between him, Aakanksha and Jyotsna (my niece), that took all of six hours — of which two were spent having a leisurely meal at a Chinese eatery there, while I was at work fretting about how we would get everything ready on time.Meanwhile, his dad pulled out the two suitcases that Gaurav would need. The new clothes were hurriedly soaked, dried and ironed and dumped into the bags. As were a whole host of sundry items. And then the day before D-Day dawned. His extended family of friends strolled in — Abhi, Aneesh, and Mohit, to name but three. They spent precious hours playing PS3, eating pizza and kicking football on the terrace, till finally with a heavy heart, I had to tell them to leave so that the final arrangements could be done. I watched as they bid adieu in our passage with warmth that showed friends are family, after all.Finally, the last item was put in, the bags zipped up — and we all settled down to spend the last night together at home till his first homecoming. The departure in the morning was a mini baraat of sorts as we set out in two cars. While the three of us left on Friday, Aakanksha joined us on Sunday to check out the place — after all, he was following in her footsteps, although at a different university.Aakanksha and I returned to a quiet house — that to me seemed to have a big hole in it. All along the kids debated whether I had bawled more at Aakanksha’s departure or his. I am proud to say that this time I did not flood the territory with my tears. That is perhaps only because the two — even in Patna — had their eagle eye on me and made faces when I threatened to cry. Kids do sometimes lead the way. They were eagerly charting their own courses and that just shows that they have grown up and how! And, from Pune to Patna, this mom too has hopefully grown up.The writer, Executive Editor, Verve, is, in her personal space, often driven to distraction by her two growing ‘young adults’, but she loves the madness of it all.

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