Growing Up Mom

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

- Elizabeth Stone

Motherhood is tough on a girl!

Last weekend was Mom’s Weekend at my son’s university. He’s just a freshman, and it’d been a month since I’d seen him. That boy owns a king-size place in my heart. I’m ridiculously crazy about him. I drove four hours in eager anticipation of seeing his smile in person and of getting one of his bear hugs. But, I also drove with apprehension. Great apprehension. You see, Mom’s Weekend wasn’t the only reason I was heading his way. I was also going to meet the girl…why-is-it-soooo-hard-to-say…friend.

Yep, his girlfriend.

For eighteen years he’s successfully avoided the ups and downs of romance due to some very strong convictions that he didn’t want to date while he was still young. He’s looked right past all the adorable daughters of my closest friends, the sharp young ladies from his youth group, the fun girls he’s grown up around.

BAM! Until he met this one.

This one whom I’d never even met. This one who was stealing a piece of my boy’s heart.

I’ve never really had a problem with sharing. But…sharing him? Are you kidding?! There was a piece of me who really didn’t even want to like her. Isn’t that awful to admit? Oh, What if she didn’t like me? I couldn’t help but wonder. That could be colossally awful! The closer I got to his college, the more I thought, This could change everything, and I didn’t know until that moment how very much I really didn’t want anything to change.

I liked things the way they were.

As the clock ticked faster and the college loomed closer, I prayed hard that God would get my heart where it needed to be. That He would help me to embrace the changes in my world. I quoted verses to myself and prayed some more.

Wouldn’t you know…she was a delight!

After all the gymnastics my heart went through, the visit was a lot of fun and I left feeling like maybe I could embrace this new adventure after all.  I mean…I don’t want to rush it, or anything. But maybe, just maybe, I can learn to share. A little.

Growing up really is hard to do. Even for us Moms.

REALLY RELATING

What is one thing you find hard about growing up? How is it affecting you today?