Adult children | Enchanted Seashells by Princess Rosebud

Poor mama bird, I know how she feels…

http://www.enchantedseashells.com

I found a broken shell from a newly hatched baby under the ficus tree. A pair of warbling vireos make a home year after year in this birdhouse.

http://www.enchantedseashells.com

It’s so sad that she puts all that work into building a nest and feeding her babies and they always fly away.

They always leave mommy. *sniff*

I guess that’s the way Mother Nature intended it to be, but it still sucks.

Facebook is full of moms who can’t wait until their children turn eighteen, almost pushing them out of the nest with a packed suitcase and a sigh of relief so they can resume their “lives”, but that’s not the way I feel about it.

As much as I’m bursting with pride at the independent and successful young professor he’s become, his bedroom is still quietly waiting — just as it always was, with fresh sheets on the bed, clean clothes in the closet, and his favorite books lined up on the shelf.

In the beginning, when he first left for college (years ago), the hardest thing to deal with was the silence — the QUIET was deafening. I have no idea how one child could fill up the space with his presence, but he did.

Now, nothing makes me happier than a call telling me he’s coming home for a visit (sigh) so I can load up on the ingredients for his favorite foods.

You know how mama birds feed their young, don’t you? They regurgitate partially digested insects and worms directly into the beaks of their babes.

I’m not THAT extreme, but you know what I mean.

It’s one of my greatest joys to watch my son eat.

I admit it. I do. I sit across from him at the table and soak it all in, every single mouthful.

(Don’t feel sorry for him, he’s used to it.)

And then he leaves again, and the quiet fills our house and our hearts.

Can you guess that I’m missing my Angel Boy right now?

A warning up front so you know what to expect.

This is a not-so-humble-brag/proud Mommy-moment…

Presenting a publication by The Exploratorium with a contribution by my son, Professor Angel Boy.

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay area or planning a trip to NorCal, this is a must-see museum.

It’s one-of-a-kind — interactive, creative, experiential, and encourages open-mind learning and exploration.

The Exploratorium is located at Pier 15, Embarcadero at Green Street.

“The Exploratorium is an eye-opening, playful place—in San Francisco and online—to explore how the world works. For 40-plus years, we’ve offered creative, thought-provoking exhibits, experiences, tools, and projects that ignite curiosity, encourage exploration, and lead to profound learning.”

Where does the museum end and the outside world begin?

“…Exploratorium Artist-in-Residence Harrell Fletcher joined a core walking group of Exploratorium staff artists and scientists—plus the public—for The Best Things in Museums Are the Windows, a four-day trek from the Exploratorium’s Pier 15 home across the Bay to the summit of Mount Diablo. The adventurous project created a dynamic framework for discovery as it moved across water, city, suburb, and country, building on the multidimensional perspectives of the participants.

The Windows reflects Fletcher’s interest in artful investigation, community collaboration, experiential learning, and decentralized authorship. By extending the museum’s curiosity-based learning into the surrounding landscape, the trek aimed to transform the everyday world around us into an open classroom while working toward a greater integration of a cultural institution within its surrounding community.”

My son was invited to participate in the walk and is a contributor to the book.

And of course this is just another one of my obnoxiously proud Mommy moments where I can publicly boast about his accomplishments.

Seriously though, if you live in the Bay area and haven’t been to the Exploratorium in a while or EVER, do yourself a favor and go. They’ve put a lot of passion and effort into creating a real zone of imagination and exploration.

And we need more of all of that, especially now.

Less violence, less cruelty, more heart and soul and mind — more inventiveness and flights of fancy.

And sparkle. We always need more sparkle. Can’t EVER have too much sparkle!