group home, part 2

Jimmy is moving to a group home on Monday, and I am so sad.

Christian and C. keep saying, "It's like going to college."

Sort of, I say.

It's like going to college except he's 21 and it's a group home.

Not that shipping C. off to college is going to be any better. Last summer my brother's eldest was leaving for college and his parents were awfully stressed. They're both solid Midwestern types, so they weren't saying they were stressed; it was just there, hanging over us. I felt majorly stressed on their behalf, for pete's sake.

At one point I said to my brother, "Well, at least you have two more kids at home," and he said, "Oh, great. I can just keep going through wave after wave of this."

If you knew my brother, you'd understand just how horrifying an image that is: this big, solid, kind Midwestern guy -- a rock -- talking about waves upon waves.

Maybe I'll keep Andrew with me for all time.


group home