My little bird is beginning to leave the nest. Well not literally but suddenly my 16-year-old is asking permission to do things that I am not ready for. A recent request caused quite a stir in my home.
I am really beginning to see that I need to learn how to deal with letting go. It is very difficult for me. I have this need to hang on but I know that it’s time for my little birdie to venture out.
It took my husband to put things into perspective. What my son requested was nothing outrageous. I was the only one who saw it that way. My husband reminded me of what we were doing at 16 years old. That seemed different to me. Now we were talking about our son.
My son began to protest about how I treat him like a baby. I attempted to defend myself with all the things that could go wrong. He finally shook his head in frustration and stopped talking. He knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with me.
For a moment I felt like I had my victory. However, deep down inside I knew that my husband and son were right and I was being ridiculous.
Then the thought came to me, “In two years he will be an adult.” Once I thought about that I realized that I really was treating him like a baby. If I couldn’t handle this one request what would I do in two years if he left for the Air Force or even college?
Letting go is so hard. As a mom I want to protect my children from anything bad happening but the truth is that sometimes they need to experience the bad in order to learn and grow.
The more we try to hang on, the more they will try to get away. I don’t want it to be a power struggle. I want it to be a healthy breaking away. So starting with this request from my son, I am learning how to let go.
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