Fly Away Little Birds

  As parents, we are always walking a fine line, trying to figure out when it's "time". Whether it's getting rid of the bottle or soother, social media accounts, or dating, we all struggle. Especially when it comes time for our babies to leave the nest. But when our "kids" reach a certain age, we all need to let go and let them claim both successes and mistakes as their own. Some of us are excited about it, and others can't seem to let go. 

  All around me, I see parents who never let go, and their adult children pay a huge price for it. Mom and Dad want nice apartments in nice neighborhoods for their offspring. Even when they themselves lived in a crappy one in a seedy area of town! Complaining that rent is too high, though we scraped up $500 a month when we were barely making $700 in "our day". So it was good enough for us, but not our kids? Interesting. Don't we all think we did a better job raising our kids than our parents did with us? If we truly believe that, then what's the problem?

  What many parents forget is exactly what we learned in those first few years of struggle. How to cook and stretch a food budget comes to mind immediately. We figured out Kraft Dinner didn't actually need butter and milk to be eaten, and that peanut butter could get us through an entire shift at work. Where we used to laugh at commuters on the bus, we sat happily beside them, thankful to be out of the rain or snow. And while our furniture was mostly hand-me-downs, we became thankful for a place to sit and a table to eat at. 

  I would say the biggest lesson we learned from our dive on Gaston Road was how much better we wanted our home life to be. We wanted nice furniture and a larger TV. We quickly understood that buying a good mattress might be the most important piece of furniture we could own, and we wanted it covered with a pretty duvet and soft pillows. And that a yard was a luxury we wanted! Armed with all this new information about ourselves, we worked harder, spent less on late-night pizza and beer, and brought our lunch to work. We grew up and began to realize what was important to us. A life lesson I'm not sure you can get in any other way. 

  Now we are on the precipice of sending our children into the world of bills and responsibility. They will learn to live with the consequences of their decisions. They will be the ones looking at their bank account balance of $17.22 and figuring out how to stretch that til payday. They'll need to learn how to change a furnace filter or fix a broken door lock. But you know what? They will. Cause we all did! It's part of growing up.

  I'm looking forward to the next phase of both my children's lives and the parenting journey that is changing yet again. It will be filled with happiness and excitement I'm sure. And you'll hear my voice cheering them on the loudest and proudest, no matter what they do. I'm their Mom after all!!

  Let the adventures begin!

  Ang