MILE MARKER 502, BUT THE JOURNEY’S NOT OVER
Posted by Martha & Greg Singleton , Friday, June 27, 2008 1:23 PM
“Woo-Hoo!” I exclaimed as we left the restaurant, giving Greg a playful punch on the arm. “Show me to the shoe department!”
We had just been treated to a lovely dinner by our son, celebrating the first paycheck of his adult, working-man career. Our youngest was officially on his own, and I was thrilled for him, and very proud.
Parenting is a task that involves constant transitions, some of which are much more comfortable than others. We rejoice at that first word and first step, at drivers’ licenses and first dates, but we also struggle as those little feet disappear into that Pre-K classroom, or as we drive away from a college campus, leaving that big-eyed freshman sitting forlornly on the side of a dorm room bed.
This is the time of year when my senior students begin to express frustration with their parents, and their parents wonder whatever happened to their wonderful, compliant, cooperative teen. That’s because they are suddenly in the throes of one of those painful transitions, the natural tug-of-war involved in the transfer of power as children take on new privileges and responsibilities as young adults.
We’ve covered the Golden Rule and table manners and speed limit and following distance, and our kids don’t even need our help with car payments or groceries any more.
And yet, they are no less in our thoughts, no less in our prayers, no less the objects of our love and longing for all of God’s best, than they were when we snuggled their downy little heads and rocked them to sleep as babies.
But that night, I lay in bed blankly realizing that, indeed, I would not be checking to see if that silver Ford truck was in the driveway when I awoke in the night, nor would Dr. Pepper be a permanent part of the grocery list. My role as a mother had once again changed.
As I waited for sleep to come, I also realized that, while one phase of our parenting had ended, there was a whole new era open for exploration, one that will require no less love, no less commitment, and no less earnest seeking of Godly wisdom than the ones before, as we set out to be a resource and encouragement to our adult children.
Knowing how closely I hold my own children in my heart, I find great comfort in the thought that my Heavenly Father’s love for me will never be diminished, either. And I find a great challenge in learning to parent well as seasons change in a relationship that simply does not end.
Martha
