I am in pain

momof07
Sun, 19 Aug 2007 16:33:01 +0000

So the doors of communication remain open!! Yeah! But tempered with the wisdom of this experience…

My oldest is leaving in less than a week for college. And I think/hope that he’ll be grateful for anything we give him. But perhaps I’ll send things that aren’t time sensitive…or even just a gift card…or cash!!

I’ve gotten the “back off” message before too, but there always seems to be a time when they say “Mom, I really need your help with this” … or “you’re better at this type of thing than me, Mom.” I remember being 18 or 19 too…I needed my space, but I needed someone to bail me out when I was over my head. In most areas, I wanted to be a grown up, but there were still some where I needed someone more experienced to guide me. Some things are just universally true.

Most importantly, I think our kids need to know that we are there for them if and when they need us. This doesn’t come with a license for them to create a mess and expect to leave it’s consequences to someone else. Or with the license to be mean and ugly and not have to reconcile. Your son obviously still needs your support, but not necessarily in the same form that it’s been in previously. If for nothing else, just to know that you love him and are cheering for his success. He’ll let you know the rest!