Last night Liam asked me for some help on one of the problems in his summer algebra assignment.  I stood over his desk and admitted, “You need to get Dad or Will to help you.”

I’m confident I could get to “x” in a simple algebra equation; after all, I spent hours after school with my high school algebra teacher working on that trick.  However, there were more words than numbers in this problem.  It wasn’t a simple solve “x” situation.  And they were complicated words that I knew the definition of in the grammatical English sense of the word, but not in the mathematical sense of the word.  I hovered at Liam’s request as he talked out the problem.  After a couple minutes, I excused myself saying I was not the one he needed at this moment.  “Send Dad up.”

“Bill, Liam needs your help with algebra.  Could you also please show him how to tie a tie while you’re up there?”  Today is school picture day, and the kids need to wear button-up shirts and real ties.  Throughout grade school and middle school, Liam managed with tie hacks: clip-ons and snap-togethers.   However, he’s a freshman this year in a new school.  That real tie is symbolic for so many nouns in his life this week with the adjective of “new.”

Liam has moved to the high school where Will goes.  Will, who is a senior this year.  Another kid with a whole lot of “new” this year.  Although, the adjective “last” is more prevalent in his thoughts.  On Labor Day, we were at the pool for the last day; virtual school started the following day.  “Mom, do you know that this is my last day of summer as a high school student?”

Fifteen minutes after I left Liam’s bedroom math lab, my husband and my two sons were huddled in the dining room speaking in tongue.  Algebraic 2 Honors tongue. 

I noticed this from where I was sitting in the kitchen, minding my own business.  I heard those three minds click together like cogs in a wheel.  Seeing and hearing this reminded me that these “lasts” and these “news” are no longer mine.  Will and Liam are working their way towards becoming independent young men—and their business is theirs to own. 

And mine is mine.