I will admit to being a helicopter parent. I did not realize it at the time, but looking back I was always there ready to swoop in and save the day. Maybe gave too much help with projects, maybe spent too much time at school, but I just wanted them to have what I did not have. I made a choice when Jacob was born to stay at home, even though it was very hard and we really needed two incomes. My mom worked and was never able to come to things or pick me up from school and I wanted my kids to have that. But looking back, maybe I should have taken a step back sooner and let them fail a few times. Now they are about to leave the nest and don’t really have the best problem solving skills. Hind sight is 20/20 as they say.
Last month Jacob Graduated in the top 10, “High Honors, With Distinction” I was prepared to be tearful and upset that my “sunshine” was moving on. But I got a healthy dose of perspective at graduation that tempered how I look at things. Seated two rows in front of me were the parents of a boy who was killed in a car wreck two years ago and across from me I could see the family of a student with terminal bone cancer. Suddenly, graduation was not a sad thing, not an ending but a beginning. I did shed tears when my son received his diploma, tears of pride and tears of joy. I will miss him when he is off at USM, but I know that I will see him and talk to him again. (Afton Wallace passed away three days after receiving her diploma. RIP #Aftonstrong)
From the Edge of the Empty Nest 