Our youngest son goes to university

Our youngest son is off to university in less than two weeks. This is a momentous time for him and for the many young adults at this stage of their lives.

There are lots of choices, lots of opportunities, and lots of angst.

As we all notice and experience movement in the family system, it is our young adults who are feeling the course load of the prerequisites recommended for adulthood. The responsibilities from bar/bat mitzvah days have now really settled into the background.

The ‘brachot’ (blessings) we then recited to relinquish our parental responsibilities, have now really come to the forefront.

Our young adults have many choices; taking a Gap year, working as a Barista, upgrading high school credentials, going to college or university , volunteering, living abroad, working at several jobs to save up and travel, or choosing to live in Israel and possibly serving in the IDF.
The figure ground view now posits our young adults into making independent decisions, as parents are standing backstage or sitting in the audience. Our parental perspectives are ever changing with relative degrees of angst and fortified from different supports in place.
As we launch our young adults, we are required by Jewish Law (just kidding!), to move out of the way. And together let us recite a different kind of blessing: “May our young adults contribute to healthy and just societies, acquiring for themselves valuable skill sets, while enjoying a good dose of Jewish pride and a sense of unity.”

Amen.