Big World, Little Man

This is a picture of a parent letting go. More specifically, it’s a photo of my ten-year-old waiting to cross the street because his school is on this block. I always watch him as he walks through the intersection before returning to our apartment, and I want to cry a little every time I see him go. He’s so big in my life, but looks so small against the world. Can you even spot him? All in black with a backpack, standing under the yellow stoplight? “Fifth grade parent?” a woman asks me as she walks by. I answer, “Yes.”