The Day She Left for University

It’s hard to describe the punch you feel in your gut watching your firstborn back out of the driveway, headed to university. One second you’re the protector, the coach, the mechanic checking every tire before a road trip. The next…you’re just a dad waving goodbye.

I knew I’d done my job. Her dorm was set. The school was safe. The car was highway-ready. I’d checked every box a dad can check. I left her a note tucked away to find when she got there…telling her how proud I was, how much I believed in her.

 Later that night, I found the note she left me on my pillow…saying she missed me already.

That’s when the tears came. And when they did, I let them. 

 No one tells you how empty the house feels after that. You go back to your daily routine, but it’s not the same. You mark the calendar for the first visit home. You already start looking forward to the holidays. You realize time doesn’t slow down…not for you, not for her, not for anyone.

Here’s the truth: you can prep all you want, but you’re never ready. What you can hold onto is this…if you’ve raised them with honesty, integrity, and hard work, they’ll carry those tools wherever they go. And that’s how you know they’ll succeed.

To every dad who just stood in the driveway wiping his eyes- you’re not alone.

The goodbye never gets easier.

But the pride? 

That only grows.