Hailey is getting her first apartment. It kind of freaks me out. I’ve always tried to be here when she’s home, I’ve never even gone away for the weekend and left her alone. Now she is going to be living on her own.
I worry that I haven’t taught her all the life skills she needs to make it on her own. As a single mother sometimes it was just quicker and easier to do things myself, after all, it was just the two of us.
Take laundry for instance. With just two of us in the house it seemed like a waste of water and electricity for both of us to do our own laundry, it was easier to do it all together and make full loads. So I did all the laundry, wash, dry, fold and put away. I mean if you are going to do it you might as well finish it. I’m afraid Hailey thinks there is a laundry fairy who fills your dresser with clean clothes.
Cooking is something Hailey has never been interested in and is not really my strong suit. I cook so we don’t die, but I’m not opposed to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner either. What if she never eats another vegetable because I’m not there to fix them for her?
There are so many things I’m not sure I took the time to teach her because I was so busy. Does she know how to put out a grease fire? How to turn the water off if the toilet overflows? These are not things that come up every day so maybe I didn’t have the opportunity to teach her.
I think I may be worrying for nothing, she really seems to have this under control. Hailey has taken care of all the details herself, getting the utilities turned on, finding out when to pick up the keys, and arranging for people to help her move.
Maybe I’m just worried that after all these years of taking care of her, she doesn’t need me anymore. That would be even worse then not knowing how to do the laundry.