My youngest starts her senior year of high school this week, and my oldest starts her first year of college.
I feel like I’m the mom in the driver’s seat that has just slammed on the breaks of the car and thrust my arm out to stop her and protect her. I’m wanting to hold her back. I’m wanting more time.
We begin our parenting with pushing them on. Pushing them to be independent. We are thrilled when they take their first step, so they walk on their own. When they begin to feed themselves so we can eat our own meals. When they tie their shoes and when they pack their own school lunch and then they get a driver’s license and we are so fearful but yet love that they can drive themselves to the places they want to go. Then…
… they start driving more and more and doing things with their friends and doing less and less with us.
We raise them, from day one, to be independent and do all these things on their own! That’s our goal! To have these babies, that were placed in our arms, to grow into independent, godly women.
THEN WHY IS THIS WEEK SO HARD?
Is it because we have invested so much time, energy, money and love into them? Or is it because I’m simply, “their mom”?! I’ve taken possession of them. I’m am theirs and they are mine.
This is where I’ve gone wrong. They were never mine to begin with.
They were always His.
His daughters. His T and S! Girls that He entrusted me to raise to grow into independent, Christ followers. I’m so glad He choose me to be their mom. I am honored that I was the one who got to see them tie their shoes and drive their cars and sit at their many school events and watch them walk across the stage with a goofy graduation cap on.
Time to pull back the arm from holding them back, and let them be all that Lord created them to be.
Cowles Farm 