A typical conversation in my household:
Princess: “Mom, you worry too much.”
Before I can respond, Diva pipes in. “That’s what moms do.”
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I’ll admit it. I am a mom. And I worry. A lot. But I have to ask, can you worry too much?
A teenage girl is missing in my community. The police suspect that she was abducted from her home. From her home. There is always a report somewhere about missing teenagers or accidents that claim a young life. You don’t have to look hard to find something that will paralyze you in fear. But that isn’t any way to live.
I dropped my girls off at mall on Saturday afternoon. The plan was for them to hang out with friends and catch a movie. I put on a brave face but behind that mask was a scared woman. I know I have to let them go. They have to experience things and learn to navigate the world. I just want to hold them close and keep them in the house with me all the time.
I reflect on my own childhood and remember feeling that my mother suffocated me. I wasn’t really allowed to go anywhere or do seemingly normal things like go to a Friday night football game. I remember thinking I had the meanest mother in the world. Now, I am not saying her methods were right but I do understand the emotion behind it. It was done out of love. When you are a parent, everything is motivated by love. I know now that I may not always get it right. But I love my children. I won’t ever apologize for that.
I still worry. I probably always will. But I will also beat down fear and allow my girls to grow. And pray that they will always be safe.
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