Parenting is hard. It really doesn’t matter which season of parenting you are in, there is a ‘hard’ in each season. My kids are flown and grown and live out of state. It’s an airplane ride, not a fun day of leisurely driving.
My daughter was sick last week, and it killed me. She sounded awful. I wanted to make it all better. I wanted to make her feel better. I wanted to make chicken soup and I was ready to get on a plane just to make chicken soup. (I already plan to make soup at Thanksgiving to freeze) It was so hard.
My son and his wife are expecting a baby and that has its own challenges of not being there. And while it doesn’t kill me, of course I would prefer to be there to share in the excitement.
This is my hard in this season.
I knew my job as a Mom was to build strong wings so that they would leave the nest and live their own lives. That doesn’t mean that when they’re not here, I don’t miss them. I would love to be more involved. I would love to be able to help. It makes it easier knowing that they are independent, effective, and most capable of doing it all on their own. Of course, that makes me feel good for them. But I’m a mom. I’m human. So, let’s just not confuse the two.
Watching them and being a part of their lives from afar, knowing that they are living vibrant lives, adulting and doing all the right things for themselves and their family brings me great joy. But just because they can do it all, doesn’t mean that I can just separate, and let go. I still care… a lot as you do too if this is a season you inderstand.
So, let’s not confuse the two. Raising strong, independent kids doesn’t mean that you let go and just stop caring. You care a ton. And while it’s really fun to watch them, there are times, today and in the future that I’ll want to be a part of, and that stings a little bit. We are human.