After a few days of borrowing his Mum's car to ferry his stuff backwards and forwards, I dropped my son off at the bus station this morning as he starts his fourth and final year at Brasenose College, Oxford.
Of course, having already been at university for three years he is an old hand, and we've got used to him being away. Last year, as part of his course, he spent the entire year living in France and Portugal as a language assistant at a school in Montpellier and at Lisbon University, so apart from a couple of long weekends courtesy of Ryanair and EasyJet, me and his Mum didn't see him at all.
I can still wind back a few years and remember just what it felt like when the pride and euphoria we felt as parents, when he gained a place at a top university from the local comprehensive, gradually gave way to the realisation that our youngest was on his way to start his adult life. There was a big hole left in our lives, made worse by the fact that his sister is 17 months older, and at around the same time that he started university, she moved out to live with the guy she's marrying next year. So there it was, both of our children leaving home together after nurturing and supporting them for the best part of 20 years. Devastating at the time, with lots of tearful hugs between me and Mrs Jools.
But life moves on and if you think back to every stage of your child's development, there are huge rewards and compensations, that outweigh the aggravation or the sorrow, and it's a joy to see them growing into fine adults, spreading their wings and making their way in the world.
Dropping my son off today was made even more poignant, because he has got a tenancy in university halls for his last year and will stay there all year. Previously, he's had to vacate his room at the end of each term, so came back home every 8 weeks or so. He has also made arrangements for accomodation when he finishes his degree and is moving into a friends house when he leaves university. So today was it, he's leaving home forever
Tell you what I won't miss though. In a couple of weeks, just like I have had for the last few years, there will be a big bill dropping through my letterbox for his university fees and accomodation - we pay that, he buys all his food, clothing, beer and books. Our share is about £4,600 plus, of course, the inevitable "loan" (which we never see again) when his money runs out, and other odds and ends which push the yearly bill up to somewhere between £5-6K.
Damn! There goes my 749/999 deposit or my 888 dreams for another year.