Welcome to Week 5 of #MomWisdom Monday! Julie T. is hosting this week’s post – so pop on over to her blog to comment!
Being a mom that had trouble becoming a mom, I had a fear of coddling my child. I was afraid that he would not be an independent person and would be living with me until he was 35. Yikes!
Also, as he grew I realized that he would not have siblings and that made my fear even worse. When he was about 2 1/2 or so I had my first experience in letting him go. What 2 1/2? Let your child go?! Well, it wasn’t a planned event and I didn’t realize I was doing it until a several years later.
One afternoon my son and I were playing with his Thomas Trains (I LOVE THOMAS). Anyway, I just started becoming super sleepy and after a few minutes I knew I couldn’t stay awake. I crawled up on the couch and looked at my son playing with Thomas and I just faded away. I had no control over it. I knew anything could happen. I also knew that my son was a kid that didn’t get into much around the house that he wasn’t supposed to. He never got under the bathroom or kitchen sinks except where he was allowed with the pots and pans. Plus I tried to kid proof the house the best I could. He never tried to get out of the house and was basically a good boy. And I slept…
I woke up almost 2 hours later with a start, fearing the worst. That he was gone, but no, my eyes popped open and there he was playing with Thomas. Yes, Thomas the train was my babysitter. No different than someone letting their tv or computer babysit their kids. I felt like a rotten mom who couldn’t care for her child like all the GOOD MOMS do. Ha!
Do I advise doing that?…no. Could something happen?…yes. But, the fact is I knew my son and I knew I could trust my instincts and let him play by himself and I “let him go.”
Now he is 17 and his high school graduation pictures came in the mail yesterday. When I looked at the pics I cried. What a wonderful kid I have. I still see that baby face lol, a baby face with a beard. lol Talk about letting a child go? Here you have exactly that. He is taking college courses that dual as high school credits. He gets up every morning on his own and drives the 15 or so miles to the college, he works in the evening and he’s a super kid. And I will always love him.
One day he will move away, get married, have kids, be a professional WWE wrestler. lol He has wanted to be a WWE wrestler since he was a baby, literally. We had a Sting doll and he loved that thing. I hated it because it had a pull string that was broken and it would just talk out of the blue and scare the crap out of me. roflmao I pray everyday he lives his dreams!
Anyway, here he is then and now. Even though I have many more stages of letting go I know I will somehow be hanging on tight. Love this kid!
If you’re on Joyful Gifts By Julie’s blog and would like to discuss this subject with us, please comment below. If you’re on Life In A House Of Testosterone (Kim) or Velvet-Rose.net’s (Julie S.) blog please – just click here! Tell us about your experience!
What is #MomWisdom Monday?
Let’s be real. We’re raising the next generation. The generation that will one day run this country. Will one day vote for our leaders, may even be our leaders. We’re raising the next teen idol, Hollywood heart-throb, the next Miss America, Babe Ruth, or Steve Jobs. It’s a tough job, and those little ones don’t come with an instruction manual. Trust me, I’ve checked every nook, cranny and orifice of my kids trying to find it. It doesn’t exist.
#MomWisdom Monday is all about sharing what you’ve learned with your own kids (either from the experts or by trial and error) and lifting each other up when we need it most. Parenting takes a village – an army sometimes. It isn’t a matter of parent vs. parent. We’re all in this together, so let’s share the love and raise a future generation that we all can be proud of.
Meet Your Hosts
Julie S. from Velvet-Rose.net
Julie is a 30-something wife, first-time mom, engineer (woo hoo – another Girl Geek!), reader, blogger, and fangirl blogging about her journey through life, career, pregnancy, and parenthood. You can connect with Julie on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Goodreads, Pinterest, and Bloglovin’.
Julie T. from Joyful Gifts by Julie
Julie is the mother of a 17-year-old son who is forever keeping her on her toes, making every day a new journey, even more so now than when he was small. Julie T. brings to the table experience with the sadder aspect of motherhood, miscarriages, the loss of a child after birth, and issues with pregnancies. A compassionate and caring individual, Julie T. will be a huge help in addressing any questions you might have in this department – as well as raising the dreaded teenage boy! You can connect with Julie T. on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest.
Kim M. from Life in a House of Testosterone
Kim is the mom to three beautiful children, a grown daughter (getting married October 2015), and two sons still at home, a 16-year-old son and a soon to be 13-year-old son. She lives in Richmond with her husband of 20+ years with their Jack Russell/Chihuahua mix, Mollyanna. She loves a good bottle of wine or some finely aged whiskey, and is an avid fan of comedies and #TGIT television shows. You can connect with Kim on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google.
If you would like to be a weekly host on #MomWisdom Mondays and share this link-up on your blog, contact Kim at LifeInAHouse@outlook.com.
Parenting is Tough. We’ve Got Your Back.
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