I'm getting ready to get my son from the airport. I talked earlier in the week about how proud I am of him for doing all the work necessary to earn a trip to Washington D.C. and New York City. The trip was a big deal, but he worked hard and did it. That feat, in itself is completely commendable. The hard part was letting him go...not just letting him go, but going without me.
I would say my family is a pretty connected family. I had the privilege of staying home with my kiddos when they were young. I didn't go back to work until my daughter (my youngest) went to school. We just got used to doing things together. If we went somewhere, it was together. I loved it. It was a special period that is a very unique bonding time, but like all good things, it must come to an end. Our kids don't stop needing us all at once. It's a gradual process over time. I have a wise friend whose children have been grown and gone from home for a long time that used to tell me,
This kiddo and his buddies got to have an amazing experience, and while I would have loved to go on the trip, I'm glad he got to do it without me and get a taste of what he is capable of. He didn't let his fear or nervousness stop him.
Have any of you had experiences like this trip? How has it shaped your life moving forward after it? Please comment below.
Be sure to enter your email in the box to the right to get all my posts delivered directly to your inbox. I'm glad you stopped by.
I would say my family is a pretty connected family. I had the privilege of staying home with my kiddos when they were young. I didn't go back to work until my daughter (my youngest) went to school. We just got used to doing things together. If we went somewhere, it was together. I loved it. It was a special period that is a very unique bonding time, but like all good things, it must come to an end. Our kids don't stop needing us all at once. It's a gradual process over time. I have a wise friend whose children have been grown and gone from home for a long time that used to tell me,
"Untie the apron strings. We wear many, many aprons as mommies, and one at a time we help our children grow and untie the apron strings. Our kids learn to ride a bike without us holding on. Untie the apron strings. Our kids begin school. Untie the apron strings. Our kids learn to drive. Untie the apron strings..."We are giving them a home base to check in, but over time our job is to equip them to go out into the world and do what God has planned for them. Fear is often a big obstacle for doing the things we're called to do. This trip was an amazing trip for my son, but it was so much more than that. It was an opportunity to untie a big set of apron strings. He found out that he can do things without me--big things! It's not that he wouldn't have done it if I were there, but there would have been a bit of a safety net. I don't want to shove my son out into the world without a safety net, but sometimes I won't get to be the safety net. I get to be home base.
This kiddo and his buddies got to have an amazing experience, and while I would have loved to go on the trip, I'm glad he got to do it without me and get a taste of what he is capable of. He didn't let his fear or nervousness stop him.
Have any of you had experiences like this trip? How has it shaped your life moving forward after it? Please comment below.
Be sure to enter your email in the box to the right to get all my posts delivered directly to your inbox. I'm glad you stopped by.
It's wild how I never saw this side of the coin when I was a kid, always anxious to cross the next finish line of life. But now I'm going through things just like my mom. When my first baby started crawling, I lost it. :) Way to be strong and untie the apron strings!
ReplyDelete