Your child will go away, maybe come home for holidays and vacations but more than likely you are done. They will find their way, won’t need you as much and once they graduate they will move out and you will have that free room to do with as you please.
During those eighteen years we have tons of events that bring on different levels of anxiety.
• Sleeping through the night
• First tooth
• Sleeping in their own beds
• 1st day of school
• Puberty (I will speak on this often at later date ).
• Transition from elementary to high school
• First time they disobey you
• First dates
• First meaningful disappointment (ours was not getting into her first choice in H.S., which turned out to be a blessing).
• First relationship
• First time they sleep away from home (for us that was at about age 6 and I hugged her like she was going away for 3 years and not 3 days lol).
The list is endless.
But what I have come to realize is that all those moments all those levels and everything in between still cannot truly prepare you for when your child is fully grown and independent and an “Adult”.
You begin to see things in a different light; you begin to appreciate those simple moments.
You come into a new anxiety level of my baby is going out into this big old world and I can no longer hold their hand or protect them.
So what do we do? How can we help? How can we make the most of those eighteen years?
• Lots of love
• Lots of patience
• Lots of communication
• Learn to Listen
• Invest time in getting to know one another
• Focus on the positive, work through the negatives
• Build memories and share lessons that will last a lifetime
• Share plenty of laughs, lots of hugs and teach kindness
The anxiety may still exist but all that you have built together with your child will make it a lot easier to let go of that hand.
What else could be helpful to ease our anxiety?
All so true. One thing I ve learned is adult children still need their parents too.
ReplyDeleteAngela @ Time with A & N
Hello Angela, it seems no matter how old we get we always need to know we have our parents to lean on :). Thank you for your visit.
DeleteYour daughter is so beautiful- as a child and "adult"! My daughter recently moved out and I honestly worry about her now more than ever. You have some great tips! One of my favorites that you listed is to "invest time in getting to know one another." This is an ongoing thing as you must get to know them at each stage of life. I am really enjoying getting to know my almost 20-year-old daughter as an "adult" and forging a new bond with her.
ReplyDeleteCandace thank you and welcome :)! Isn't it a blessing we get to bond with them on a different level? I so enjoy my "dates" with Erica at this stage, such eye openers lol. Lets continue to enjoy this ride and thanks again for stopping by.
DeleteYes, those "dates" are such a blessing. My daughter shares a lot with me so sometimes they are intensely eye-opening! I wouldn't change a thing though and totally agree with you to "enjoy this ride".
DeleteHi Mari! My kids are just 8 and 2 so we still have a long way to go and a lot of "firsts" to experience. I agree with everything you said and I can just hope that I get better and better at parenting as my kids grow older. :)
ReplyDeleteYou have plenty of time to build some great bonds and memories. Just always remember to try to keep lines of communication open :). Thanks for commenting and visit. See you again soon I hope.
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