Tuesday, September 14, 2010

16 wth?

In less than one month my baby bootie boy will be 16! Where has the time gone? I know all parents ask that question, it becomes redundant....but really......





Where has the time gone?





The hardest part of all this?, well besides all of it? Letting go. Sending him out in the world without my supervision. Questioning if we did a good enough job of teaching him right and wrong. Hoping he will make good decisions most of the time. Did we scare him sufficiently to always wear his seat belt, stay away from drugs, don't have unprotected sex, don't drink and drive. All the things that bring us parents sleepless nights. But I still know he will make mistakes and I'm on my knees praying the mistakes he makes won't be life altering! In a split second a life can be changed forever.

Reminds me of when I started letting Billy ride his bike over to a friend's house around the corner on another street. I could no longer see him reach his destination. I made him call me when he got there for several weeks. Then finally I let that go. Shortly after that some kids I didn't know came to my door one afternoon informing me a child was hurt at the end of the street. Was it my son?

Well It was him. He had fallen and laid in the middle of the street. When we got there he was just standing up his bike. Then he cried. He had road rash all over but thankfully he was wearing his helmet which was very scratched up and dented. That is when I decided he would live in a bubble, wrapped in Charmin toilet tissue for the rest of his life! No more chances. We would be taking no more chances like that.

Luckily for Billy, Jeff talked me down from my neurosis. But it was a lesson. A painful one. You have to let them go and they are going to fall down and make mistakes. They will have to get up on their own sometimes. Just give them all the guidance they will let you give. Make sure your expectations are clear. Let them know you will always be there but they have to go around the corner where you can't see them!

Then pray a lot!
Joytobe

1 comment:

Minda said...

I'm so right there my dear. Not with safety, but with school. Very hard to let go and let him get the grades he's gonna get. ugh!