AgingGratefully

Today my youngest went off on a trip to Montreal. He went with 3 other guys on the bus. During this time of Covid 19 this is especially hard for me.

His first thought is probably that hes 18 and can legally get alcohol in Montreal…so my first thought is how drunk will he get? No…my first thought is that he didnt bring hand sanitizer on the bus with him.

It’s hard enough to trust the 3rd child on his own even though hes a smart, responsible kid. But hes only 18. Omg I was so so risky at 18. I did the stupidest things.

At 18 I knew everything

I hope he isnt like me in that respect. I hope I did a good enough job of telling him to think with his frontal lobe.

I wont de stress till he’s home on Thursday. I really hope he enjoys himself. It’s just scarier right now💙

Changing your eating habits out of self respect….

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I’ve been a mother for 27 years. A parent for one.

Is that because I’ve aged and changed? Yes. Because I know myself better than ever? Yes. Because I’ve been told I am a “good enough mother”. Yes.

But it is also because just recently I have all three adult children living with me. Whoo hoo! Not.

Before, when they were kids, I knew what it meant to be a mother. Love, support, guidance and discipline. Setting boundries, helping with problems. Being a parent to an adult? 3 adults? With very different needs, wants, abilities, coping skills, personalities. Being a parent has recently become a whole new ball game. They are their whole selves now.

Being a mother. Self explanatory. Pretty much. A parent, not so much. More discussing, more teaching, more problem solving.

The same amount of love and affection. Yes. Discipline? No..reasoning through mistakes, guidance. Yes!..

More like a guidance counsellor.

This is a whole unchartered world for me. I think it’s an advantage to be an “older” parent at this stage. They need you as much as ever but for your wisdom you’ve attained, your perspective.

So I guess I have recently become a guidance counsellor/mother/parent/confidante. Still needing to be chief cook and bottle washer. (Working on that one)😀Not for a minute did I think I would be doing this at my age. Kids never leave home anymore. This is a whole new skill set to obtain and master.

Its feels right to be here, now. Is it extremely challenging? You bet. Maybe I could move out or like go to respite facility or something. Or start a new program like a spa day for parents of adult children still living at home. Seriously. Consider this a patented idea!!