Tuesday evening
I've been thinking tonight, while doing the dishes(!) about the worry involved in being a parent - a topic I'm sure most of you are extremely familiar with
When you first have a child, and while that child is a baby and toddler, parenting is an anxious time. You worry about what they eat (or won't eat), their development, whether they just have a bug or a serious illness, whether you're a good enough parent... We've all been there.
My experience now as a parent of two teenagers and a 9 yr old is that as they get older you don't really worry less - it just changes. I remember my mum telling me that she used to worry about me driving to work round the M25 - and I was 26 then!
This evening, my middle one, E., who is 15, is out for a meal at a pub with the cast of the pantomime she was in last week. One of the older boys (18) is going to give her a lift home - it's only about a mile and half away, but still... And in the summer she is off for over 2 weeks holiday abroad with a friend and her family.
Meanwhile, her older sister, L. at 17 is within 18 months of going off to college and officially entering the big, wide world.
I know it's important to let them go gradually, and I do try, and i'm fortunate that both girls are growing into lovely and sensible young women, but it's difficult to sit back and watch them becoimg independent.
So all I can do is cheer them on, hope that all goes well for them....and worry!
Postscript - ( this morning) - E. got back safely by 11pm last night so all is fine ... until the next time!
Postscript - ( this morning) - E. got back safely by 11pm last night so all is fine ... until the next time!
very touching post, am feeling this myself as my nearly 16 yo will head off to Leeds festival in August with his friends ... oh my !
ReplyDeleteI worry too..we're only human after all and not super-mums:) I'm enjoying having more grownup chats with them and having someone to lift things down from high shelves as well..
ReplyDeleteI think I worry more now than when my son was little, at least then he was too small to be out and about on his own. For example this afternoon, a half hour after his usual apparence from school...no sign. Tried mobile...switched off! 45 minutes later hubby goes out in car looking for him. Hubby finds him just coming out of school (now an hour later) Turns out stayed late at school for extra science study, mobile battery dead...didn't think to use the pay phone at school.....kids! I ask you?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments - yes, there are (lots of) positives about them getting older too!
ReplyDeleteAnd Alana - have had similar experiences and freaked out not knowing where DD was when she failed to arrive after school.They know where they are and that they're alright so they don't tend to think you might be about to phone the police... In fact one of DD1's friends mum did actually get the police invloved as her daughter forgot to tell her she was coming to ours for the evening straight from school and had her phone on silent. In the end she was collected from our house in a police car!