Doug — Cohasset Senior Photographer

I have never been one of the sad moms, tearfully putting their children on the bus for the first day of school and eagerly anticipating their arrival home. In our house it’s always been a little more “here’s a waffle, where’s your backpack, did you brush your teeth, my GOD what is that gunk on your shirt?” and then off you go! Today, however, I dropped Calder off at the doors of the Middle/High school and as I watched him merge into the crowd of kids, many of them much bigger kids, my heart stopped for the briefest of moments and I flashed back to the day when he walked down the driveway to the Kindergarten bus. Where did the time go? How did my baby boy get so big? Who is chopping onions in here?

I imagine this is how many parents feel when they drop their giant children off at college for the first time. Recently I met up with Doug, who just started his freshman year at Connecticut College. His mother asked me if I would take some photos of him before he left, as he hadn’t had his Senior Photos taken professionally the year before, and she wanted to preserve who he is right now. A wise decision — Doug is handsome and funny and kind and all around awesome. Friends describe him as one of the nicest guys ever. A couple of kids I know who had him as a tennis coach say that he’s “pretty cool.” I think he’s charming and bright, and I wish him well in his new adventure. Once upon a time he was that kid getting on the Kindergarten bus, and I’ll bet his parents wonder where the time went too.