#BlogElul 2 Act

Ethan Ehrlich, First day: UW Madison, August 2014/Elul 5774

All of your parenting leads up to this day. You hope you have prepared your child to act in the appropriate manner and then you send him off to college. You teach them how to act in all types of situations: studying, doing Jewish activities, doing Tikkun Olam, making friends, having a good time and learning how to deal with the not so good times.

I am not sure why this day brings tears as well. I suppose I do know. Things change after you go off to college. I know it's not just the address change but it is also the maturity you acquire living on your own.  I feel confident that Ethan will love college, do well and still feel comfortable coming home.   It just an adjustment not to have him at home.  He was a madrich all summer at OSRUI and we basically knew where he was and what he was doing.  At college, although I am SURE he will call home, eventually, it is different.  I don't want to interfere but desperately want to know what is going on in his life.

I know I must learn how to act with our youngest away at school.  It will not come easy but we have been leading up to this day.  We can act.  I am looking forward to the next chapter.  In fact this is what I left under Ethan's pillow to find after we have left.  I can't wait to see the places he will go!