I started on this journey twenty-four years ago, plus a few months. With the birth of my first child, I knew my life had been inalterably changed, and it was wonderful. What I never thought about, through the years of having four children grow from babies to active children to teens and then into adulthood, was what the life without children daily in it would look like. Recently, that’s been on my mind.
The Little Man graduated from high school today. He got his basic welding certificates a couple of weeks ago, and is on track for his advanced certs and an AS in Welding by December 2023. It was a homeschool graduation, very understated, just a moment of giddy glee from this normally stoic young man that he was finally at the point where he’d achieved his goal of getting through school. We will take him out to dinner in a few days and feed him all the sushi he can hold, and that will be his idea of a great celebration. I’ve ordered a formal diploma and that will come in a few weeks so he will have a pretty paper if he ever wants it. It’s been an uphill running battle since we started homeschooling during Covid, but we’re done. We got him through and he’s on the other side…
And I’m sitting here contemplating the future. My girls are all fiercely independent and thriving. My son is about to be taking the leap out of the nest, and his flight feathers are hardening off. Even without his plan of entering the military, he’s going to be able to support himself with the welding degree. I am unspeakably proud of all of them.
I am about to become obsolete and I’m so happy about it! I’ll never stop being their mother. But we’re at a point where I’ll get occasional calls and texts and radio silence in between that I will assume means all is well with them. I’ve never been a helicopter parent, because I wanted them to learn to stand on their own. That they have learned and they are doing it (or about to).
More than half my life has revolved around them, and now I’m a little off kilter. I have to figure this out.
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2 responses to “A Mother’s Purpose”
Well, many congratulations. Yes, it’ll take some adjusting. But somehow, I am sure you will find lots to do!
You never stop. I found that out by watching friends and family. The hands on part stops but the parenting sort of…doesn’t.