I've been struck this year by my children's increasing independence. By the fact that their care and upkeep does not occupy my every waking moment as it once did. The little one wants to cross streets by herself; the big one can and does cross streets by herself. She still wants me to walk her to school though, and she does still hold my hand. I hadn't really thought about that until someone commented on it and I suddenly realized that someday soon she wouldn't.
Today the little one's got three dollars in her pocket to buy pizza lunch from the PTA before she makes her own way to her afterschool yoga class. After class I'll meet her and we'll walk over to the frozen yogurt shop, me following 20 steps behind as she crosses the streets to meet her sister who'll have walked over from the middle school, without anyone to hold her hand.