Last night I had the pleasure of attending my daughter's Baccalaureate Service. Next Saturday is Graduation.I say that all very matter-of-factly, however, I'm a mess.
I made the mistake today of "Map Quest-ing" from my house to ACU. 1411.63 miles.
Did you really read that? Over fourteen hundred miles away from me my baby will be! What are we thinking?! I'm a mess.
O.K. Many of you have experienced this already. You're probably thinking..."you're not the first one to send your child off to College. Parents have been doing it for years."
I know. But I'm still a mess.
Last night at the service, the guest speaker said that sociologists have actually named my generation of parents...it's called the "helicopter generation". Have you heard this before? We are called this because of our "hovering" capabilities with our children. We are involved in every aspect of their lives...hovering at all times in case they need us.
We laughed, but we all knew with few exceptions, he was correct. It's going to be very difficult to hover 1400 miles away. I'm a mess.
What I know without a doubt is that in spite of my achy-breaky heart, she is doing exactly what she is supposed to do.
I know that God has His hand on her, and I know He's leading her to be what He wants and needs her to be.
I know that our kids are a gift...a blessing. I know that if we are doing our job correctly, they will eventually leave us to fly their own path with their own wings.
I know all this...and in the course of the next couple of months, I'll probably write more about this as we prepare to take her to her next stop in life.
But for now...for today, I'm a mess!
4 comments:
Oh, Sandra, I met so many wonderful moms like you while working on New Student Orientation at Pepperdine. I'm pretty sure that a friend of mine and former College Church member - Eric Gumm (now Dr. Gumm, thank-you-very-much) still works with the First Year's program at ACU. They are there to help parents out, too - go to the parents' programs during Welcome Week, if you can. You won't be the only "mess" there!
On the flip side of the "helicopter parent" thing - something we learned about the Millenials (Ashley's generation) is that they are proving to be one of the greatest generations in our history. It was an honor to work with them for four years at Pep. You're such a great mom. I'm so excited for Ashley. May God bless this time in your lives!
ACU has gotten closer to Fresno than when I went there. Must have finished some of those freeways.
I'd just add to Greg's post, just to make you feel better, that you daughter will probably marry a European, then you can multiply that distance by 5.
I knew that would make you feel better.
Dang it, that girl's too pretty! Can't we ugly her up a bit before we send her off? Our luck, she'll bring home some durn fool Texas boy like...oh...yeah...sorry, Lex.
You all are so funny...
Thanks for your sweetness, Wendy and Randy and Greg.
Brady, please...anything but a European!
And Steve, you are such a devoted Uncle. I'm sure you're not prejudiced at all in your opinion of her.
Seriously, it's such a blessing to have this blog community. You all provide a place of rest and laughter and fellowship that is precious to me.
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