Amanda Lamb: Last firsts

When you have multiple children, you know that important milestones will come around again — there will be more first words, first haircuts, first school dances, first boyfriends…

But when your youngest hits these milestones, they are what I call the “last firsts.” This week is the last time I will see one of my children behind the wheel of a car for the first time, a blend of excitement and anxiety in her eyes as she gets a taste of real freedom.

This week also marks the last time one of my children will have her first real job complete with all the responsibility that goes along with it — filling out forms, training, attending meetings, working out scheduling.

My youngest is now on her way to becoming a permitted driver and a summer lifeguard. I am excited for her to have these new adventures, but, I am also well aware that with these “last firsts” I am permanently shutting the door on having young children. I am now officially the mother of two young women, one who is on her way to college and one who is on her way to independence from her parents.

I know there will be more “last firsts” ahead, and I’m sure I will approach all of them with a bit of melancholy as I ponder the next stage of my life, the one that is not so wholly consumed by the daily needs of my children. I’m not quite sure what that looks like yet, but with every “last first” I am reminded that that life is truly just around the corner.

“Mom, you need to be careful of your blind spot, check it before you change lanes,” my daughter said to me after her third driving lesson.

A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. I realized this was yet another “last first,” my new driver criticizing my driving habits, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last time …

Amanda is the mom of two, a reporter for WRAL-TV and the author of several books, including some on motherhood. Find her here on Mondays.