Bragging, Kind Of

Graduations. That’s what’s going on around here. Two weeks ago, my son graduated from college. In three weeks my daughter will graduate from high school. Both have done well and I could write several paragraphs about their successes. I am very proud of them. They have grown into young adults that work up to their potential, other people enjoy having around, and that are generally very responsible.

In many areas, parenting is done. It’s adjustment time for the parents. Mike and I are going to have to change the way we view our children – our young adults. They still need us but in different ways and for different things than before. We have some adjusting to do. While they are “well-adjusted,” we have lagged behind, holding onto our images of them as children. I think it’s only natural.

For over 22 of our 26 years as a couple, children have been a part of the mix. For all those years, we have taken physical care of them, encouraged them emotionally, introduced them to a spiritual life, chauffeured them around, helped them with homework in one way or another, and done all the other big and small intangibles that are part of responsible, loving parenting. Our roles will change as their needs change. I’m just not sure yet what that will look like. And, that is a bit scary.

Of course, each stage in their development has brought new challenges, new roles, some of which we were not anticipating or prepared for. However, the stages seemed to flow into one another, and when our son passed through a stage and started another, our daughter was entering the stage he was exiting. This is different. They will both be out of the house, away from home, out of our day-to-day lives. We will not see them and know what they need – whether it’s a hug or twenty dollars. We will not talk to them everyday and hear when they are frustrated or afraid. We will not know how their classes are going. But all those things will be on our minds.

We will have to adjust to the not knowing that comes with them being out-of-sight most of the time. I see prayer as a much bigger part of our lives. It may be the only way to lessen anxiety (which is just a nice way to say lessen the worrying).