Parenting...the toughest job you can do!

Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids!! I would give my own life so they could have theirs! My kids are now 21 and almost 18. They are beautiful, hardworking, responsible adults! When they are home it is the happiest time of my life! But it seems like forever before I got to this point. For those of you reading this who have young kids at home, I FEEL YOUR PAIN! I remember the days of hockey, soccer, bass lessons, art lessons and swimming lessons! Who can forget the cuts, the poison ivy, the scratches and the shrieks that sent me running to them in the middle of the night. Then it came time for school and we decided to send them to a Catholic school. Every time they stepped out of the car I thought there goes my month long stay in Carbo! School helped introduce them to all the good stuff like chicken pox, (my kids were too old when the vaccine came out), which my husband also got and was sick as a dog…he almost landed in the hospital he was so sick. School also gave us the other fun stuff like roto-virus, which lead to screams of “Mom, I threw-up in my bed.” So there you are holding buckets and washing sheets at three in the morning! They would recover quickly and want scrambled eggs, of course by then you are praying for death on the couch! What about those days you are so irresponsible that you forget the most beloved toy “Mr. Bear” in a hotel in southern Maine? Thank-God for responsible hotel workers who find him and next day air him too you!! Ah, yes, those were the days!! But, when I look deep into my heart I am finding that I miss those days!! I miss the giggles, and the laughter that comes from the bottom of the toes! I miss seeing the world through the eyes of a child. I even miss that teenage angst, although my 18 year old can still bring it when he needs too! Most importantly I miss them!! My 21 year old lives, works and goes to school in Boston. My 18 year old will be a senior this year, (he started late because of his birthday), but he is hardly ever home. He is either off with his band, or his girlfriend. Sometimes it breaks my heart not to have them here, but most times I am proud that they have found their wings and are learning to fly!!
Let me just take one more moment of your time to tell you about an old friend and her youngest son. This boy/man is 18 and just graduated from high school. I recently reconnected with his Mom via Facebook. This young man spent a semester in Israel and fell in love with it! He felt a deep commitment to his homeland and vowed he was going back when he graduated high school. Well he graduated and left last Tuesday. In my honest opinion he is one of the most courageous kids I know! Kudos to his mother and father for letting him fulfill his dream. His mom and I have been e-mailing back and forth and she seems to be doing well. I bow to her, I would be a mess!! This young man is going to do ten months of community service and then join the Israeli army for 3 years! YOU GO KID!! I will be praying for you!!In summary to all the new/young mothers out there wiping butts, catching vomit, breaking up fights, searching for toys, mending cuts, is the easy part. The hardest part is letting go!!!!!!!!