Entries RSSLynne, our most excellent office manager, sent me these thoughts the other day.
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the period right after my son was born and my first time away from him. I remember driving down my mountain road thinking that I couldn’t protect him like I did when he was inside of me. I think about this because I’m looking for a new car.
My son will soon receive his driver’s permit and it will be my car he will learn on and later drive the most. The vehicle needs to fit my 5′4″ frame and his 6′2+” growing body and have decent gas mileage, so size is important. I’ve studied on-line car ratings and consumer comments and visited dealerships. I thought a “pre-owned” car would give me some balance — not as much concern about keeping it in pristine condition.
But the newer cars have the curtain air bags, the vehicle stabilizers for skids, etc., etc. for safety. I’m becoming a little crazed in my search but want to make a decision because my current vehicle is becoming unreliable and because of my soon-to-be expert new driver. So thoughts about protecting him still dance in my head. Did I mention he had a head concussion playing football this past fall? Pass the bubblewrap!
I totally agree! Sometimes teenage sons seem programmed by nature to plunge headlong into every dangerous thing they can find. And moms are programmed to protect. We start when we hold them in our arms for the first time, doing all the right, careful things to keep them health and safe. How do we turn that off when they don’t need us anymore?
My son is a little older than Lynne’s and he’ll be leaving for college next fall. And no matter how logical, reasonable, and sane he sounds when he’s talking to me, I know when he’s out with buddies, it’s a whole different ballgame. And yet, can we hold them back from being what they are? Or learning those hard lessons? Or teaching us the lessons we need, too? Not a chance!
