We will be driving my daughter who has severe autism, Talia, to her new home where she will go to school on Wednesday. When my older daughter left for college, I knew I would miss her, but I was so proud to see her move on and be more independent. Now it is time for Talia to move on. Today, I changed the batteries on some baby toys for her to take. She was excited to play with toys that had not worked for some time while I felt sad. I know this is what is best for Talia, how much she needs her education, how I feel so stressed out running her curriculum, maintaining my job, and running the house. Yet it is sad to pack baby toys for Talia's new journey. When my brother left for residential school over 30 years ago, we felt relieved and grateful that he was leaving the hospital after an over five month stay to go back to school. While I also feel relieved and grateful now that Talia is returning to school, my emotions are much more mixed and complicated compared to when my brother left, I think because Talia is leaving from home, unlike my brother leaving from a hospital. Yet the bottom line is Talia's education must come first.