Growing Up

I have discovered that as much as I love my quiet and alone time or one on one time with my kids, I am having a hard time learning to be okay with my kids growing up and having lives of their own.

A couple months ago my son went on his first boy scout camp out. It was overnight in the desert and I had no contact with him. It about drove me crazy! I was so worried about snakes, him getting lost, getting hurt, blah, blah, blah. Even though his leaders are amazing, I was very happy when he was home safe and sound where I could see exactly what he was doing.

The last two weekends my daughter has gone to sleepovers. The first one wasn't very far away. If something happened I was just 2 minutes away. The second one was 2 hrs away and I was a nervous wreck! Even though I was able to talk to her on the phone several times, I was still worried about her safety and worried about her being good, showing her manners and making good decisions. I was so happy when I could see her little face and know she was okay. She missed me too...she has given me about 10 hugs since she got home! :) Good to know she is still at an age where she likes to be with her mom.

What am I going to do when my kids are teenagers and start driving, dating, going to parties? Will my heart be able to take worrying about them so much? Will they make the right decisions about drugs, drinking and sex? Will they drive safely and not be reckless or text and drive? Will they pick good friends? Good friends are so important so they can all help each other make the right decisions.

Growing up isn't just hard for kids, it's hard for parents too!