Trying To Do It Right...

Henry and I were chatting last night about Parenting. Man, I think of it as being a Mom is way easy, but Parenting, that's hard! That's just my personal spin on it :)

I've been thinking a lot about the pressure that parents put on ourselves and that we get from others. We were talking about how we all have pretty intense opinions about what we think works and what doesn't, but the one size fits all concept only works if all children are exactly the same. And anyone who has more than one child or has worked with children, knows that simply isn't true.

So the take away, we welcome advice from people in the know, I love to hear what worked for you, but when it comes to the decisions we make for our children, this club of parents needs to become a little more accepting. I know for me, I was a very attached child. I had a great deal of anxiety over the idea of having to be away from my parents or family. It was just how I was hard wired. I have to thank my parent for never forcing the issue with me. They were very understanding and in a way accommodating. I don't remember feeling embarrassed or pressured with my family to get over it and separate myself from them. One could have been very concerned when your 7 year old daughter is panicking over the idea of leaving for college. But I remember my mom just smiling, giving me a hug, and saying, "I promise when that time comes you will be ready, but you don't have to pack your bags anytime soon." The reality for me ended up being excitement when it came time to move to College. No tears were shed and I loved the years I spent there.

So when it comes to a daughter who has a little bit of separation anxiety, Henry and I are very unconcerned. My goal is to make sure that she knows she is loved, and is always able to come to us. Family is supposed to be a safe place to go and feel comforted and honestly I would be concerned if it was any other way. So I will not be pushing her to cut the cord, but over time I am completely confident that she will be able to strike it out on her own and grow into a fabulous and confident young woman and I can't wait. But until then I will hold on to my baby girl and let her feel safe in my arms.