Initiation day

I was atop the mesa overlooking Golden, Coor's Brewery and Denver. On the hill across the Rocky Mountain town was a giant letter M fashioned of white painted stones. The M is for the college in Golden. The stones are whitewashed annually by the incoming freshmen class. The initiates bring a ten pound stone from their hometown to carry up from the campus chanting the school song. At the end of their trek they ceremoniously add their stone to the emblem before a whitewash frenzy that apparently is very messy.
From the Mesa the entire thing looks like a tiny procession of ants trailing up the hillside. The wind occasionally carrying the sound of the song to the flat where we stood. I would not have noticed without the casual conversation of the married couple whom had arrived to watch, from the distant vantage point. Their son was one of the freshmen. They had planned on returning to Minnesota but had decided to take a later flight and have one last hike in Colorado. To the top of the mesa, coincidentally, just in time to (hover) watch their son from the opposite side of the valley.
I recalled this as I say a few blocks away, Iim a parking lot, waiting for my son to call so I could ride him home,. He and his friends came over to where I was. One of them has known him since first grade a. she asked me what I was doing. When I told her I was writing the Mesa observation down.
Her initial reaction was,"That's kinda' creepy." As any young person would think of a hovering parent.
I could relate.
She told my son she could "Totally see your mom doing that..."
I pointed out that I felt guilty of this.
When do we let them go?