Parents/Kids

I wonder – do you ever stop worrying about your child/children? When my son started driving, he used to always roll his eyes at me when he was leaving and I would say, “Drive safely.” I stopped him once and explained to him that he would always be my kid and I would always be his mom, and that I would always be saying this to him. I told him that when I am 80 and he is 53, I will still be concerned about him and telling him to drive safely – that’s the way it is.

And that IS the way it is. I am not 80 yet, but he and I are both getting older, and I still tell him to drive safely (although I often add “Like you wouldn’t if I didn’t tell you to”). But come to think of it, I also tell my husband and my friends to drive safely. I may have started this with him because he is my son, but it is actually something I say to my friends a lot.

So, back to my main question, will I ever stop feeling this way about my kid? I think the answer is no, I won’t.  It is not that I don’t trust him to be responsible – he is a very responsible person. It is just that I gave birth to him, and struggle sometimes to see that he has grown into a great human being. He will forever hold a special place in my heart, and I will forever be reminding him to “Drive safely.”