For years I’ve written about my life as a mom. In 2006, I started blogging as a mommy blogger. I wore that title proudly and as my writing focus has changed over the years, so has my title. Just this year, for example, I changed the title of this blog in anticipation of a very important event.

My oldest is going to college and leaving the nest.

The only thing I can say about this is that the time flies by. It really does. I remember the day he was born. I remember when he was diagnosed with epilepsy. I remember when he asked me to stop having babies because his limit for little sisters was two. I remember when I told him his dad and I were getting a divorce. I remember when he refused to do his Spanish homework for 3 months straight. I could go on and on.

My ex-husband and I have been talking about this a lot lately. Incidentally, another piece of advice I was given at the onset of our divorce was that despite the differences that caused our marriage to fail, one day we would have to stand together as his parents at graduations, and weddings and family events. We’ve officially reached that point with all three of our teenagers, and I’m happy to say we are friends.

Right now, we just happen to be friends who are feeling some type of way because our boy is experiencing all kinds of rites of passage relating to becoming a man. A man that stands at 6’1″ tall. A man that has a job. A man that has bass in his voice. A man that recently made a decision to become a member of a church, on his own.

Are we sentimental? Yes.

Will we miss him? Yes.

Are we immensely proud of him? Yes.

But we are scared.

We’re scared that we’ve scarred him from the divorce.

We’re scared that he’ll lose control of the seizures as an adult and we won’t be able to help him.

We’re scared that he will experience racism in a brutal way.

We’re scared that he won’t have the opportunity to follow his hopes and dreams for the future.

We’re scared this cold, cold world will attack his heart and mind.

Like it does for Adonis Creed in the movie Creed II.

There are two things I need to pause from my motherhood nostalgia to tell you. 1. Michael B. Jordan, and 2. November 21, 2018. Jordan stars in Creed II and the movie comes out on November 21, Thanksgiving to be exact.

I know November seems far away, but so did 2018 when my sweet C.J. was born in 2000. Waiting four months for this movie is nothing.

Written and produced by Sylvester Stallone, this movie is a coming of age film. Our sweet C.J. is not a boxer, but he is an African American man (yes, he’s a whole man) who is discovering his rightful place in society.

Life has become a balancing act for Adonis Creed. Between personal obligations and training for his next big fight, he is up against the challenge of his life. Facing an opponent with ties to his family’s past only intensifies his impending battle in the ring. Rocky Balboa is there by his side through it all and, together, Rocky and Adonis will confront their shared legacy, question what’s worth fighting for, and discover that nothing’s more important than family. Creed II is about going back to basics to rediscover what made you a champion in the first place, and remembering that, no matter where you go, you can’t escape your history.

When C.J. leaves us this fall, he’s going to a college that has a deep meaning to our family. I went there. My grandfather went there. It’s in a state we love. He will face his family’s legacy the minute we cross the state line, and it’s going to become his home.

And when we see each other for Thanksgiving, we will enjoy our time together and see this movie. Click here to watch the trailer.