Letting Them Leave the Nest . . .

This week I got my first taste of what it feels like when a child leaves home. My experience is a little different because this separation is only lasting for one week.


Anna, our 16-year-old daughter, went to Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Encampment last week at Fort Benning, Georgia. This encampment lasts a week which doesn't sound like a long time. Well, it's been a long time for her Mom!



Anna could not take her cell phone so therefore I've not heard her voice since last Thursday. That has been hard. We did get a phone call Sunday informing us that Anna was doing well, although she'd had some rough moments, they said. They didn't elaborate on the "rough" moments so my imagination has run wild since that call.



Today I got a phone call informing me that a "Bug" was going around the encampment but Anna was "okay!" She hadn't caught it, but since, they said, she had asthma they wanted me to be aware of the issue. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I informed the nurse that Anna's having Asthma was news to me! The nurse thought that since Anna was taking "Singulair" that she must have it. I informed her that it was being taken for allergies and not asthma! We both were relieved.



I know that we raise our children to be independent and try to prepare them for life on their own but the "letting go" process is sometimes hard on parents. I enjoy being with my girls and do not look forward to the day when they leave home for "good". (A friend informed me that the for "good" never happens. His four keep coming back!)



I then think about the parents who say goodbye to the soldier son or daughter as they leave home to go overseas, not knowing if they'll ever see them alive or not. That must be very difficult and nothing compared to what I'm experiencing. I can't imagine that feeling and don't even like to try.



Why do we bring children into this world, invest our time, money, and selves in them, only to let them go? I guess it's the way God planned it to work so that life on earth, as we know it, would continue. Does it sometimes hurt? Yes! Is it worth it? Yes! I wish that I had 3 or 4 more girls spread out in their ages so that it would be a long time before Eddie and I experience the "empty nest" syndrome!



So, it's back to counting down the hours until I get my girl home!! Updates at 10!

Comments

Anonymous said…
My two boys and wife have been in OK since Christmas Day. They return tomorrow. It is different, but I know a little what you must feel. I am praying for you all, and for a safe, speedy return.
5:53 PM
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