I used to dream of the day I would get married. Dream of the day I would have children, think about what it would be like to raise children, watch them grow up and I hate to say it, dread the day when they would leave. (I know they don’t leave for good, but it sure feels like it.)
As the old saying goes, “if you love someone set them free.” Not sure that applied to children, but it kind of feels that way. All of that teaching, parenting, coaching, nurturing and loving for 18 years, suddenly is put to the test. You watch your children flourish into young adults ready to embark on their very own journey and while you are so ready for them to do that and know they need to, as a parent it really is hard!
Their senior year goes by in the blink of an eye, from senior pictures, college tests, and applications, finding out which path they will take, what school they choose or the job they apply for, prom and GRADUATION… that walk across the stage…that monumental event that leads them to the start of their future. And while you know it’s for the best, it’s hard when they leave the nest.
Their room is still theirs, but it is empty, the house is still the same, but they aren’t there and it is exactly how it is supposed to be… when you love someone, set them free.
The excitement of what the future holds for them is all that a parent can ask for and as Rascal Flatts sings “My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to, and your dreams stay big, your worries stay small.”
By Jodi Rankin, Everything Grad
