Saturday, June 16, 2012

The First Good-Bye

Tomorrow is a milestone for my little family.  It will be the first time that I say good-bye to my daughter as I send her off for a week at music camp.  Most mothers I know have done this at least once in the last few years.  This is a first for us.  For the last 11 years my daughter has been right beside me, or at least within earshot of my voice.  Everyday is girl's day at our house and I've enjoyed pretty much, every minute.  What I know to be true is that God blesses us with our children "for a time."  That "for a time" could be anywhere from a few months to years.  If we, as parents, do our job, we teach our children the lessons that He wants them to learn as they grow up, and then one day we say good-bye.  This is the first of many good-byes for Kaysie and I.  I'm happy it's only for a week, but someday that week will stretch into months, when she ventures off to college, and then who knows, when she steps out into her adult life.  We've talked over the last few weeks about "what to do when...", and "how do I handle...".  These conversations, secretly, were mostly for my peace of mind, but I'm hoping that some wisdom got passed along too.

I've got a little case of "the nervous mom" butterflies.  I know that as I drive away tomorrow, I'll be a mess, but I need to just suck it up and do it.  I don't have to like it, but I definitely have to get used to it. It will make those bigger good-byes later on in her life a little easier.  I know in my heart that she'll be fine.  She'll be having one adventure after another next week.  I'll get to talk to her in the evenings, and learn about all the fun she's having.  I'm confident that I've done my job as her mom. She's a nice girl with a good head on her shoulders.  I'm hoping that my sadness at saying good-bye will be short lived.  I want her to get out there and experience life, and to live it to the fullest.  I will hug her and kiss the top of her head, and then I'll say good-bye.  It's only for a week...this time.


1 comment: