I've just left my big girl at the departure lounge of the international terminal at the airport. Today she's winging her way to Los Angeles. This is her first international trip on her own.
I am unafraid and so incredibly proud of her. Over the past 18 months since she moved out I have watched her work out her own way. I have no longer been able to hover & anticipate problems. She's worked them all out for herself, so much better than I ever could do for her. She's learned to (figuratively) stand on her own two feet, stand up for herself, work out her own way, search for her own path. She's made mistakes and learned from them. She's had incredible triumphs, some failures...but none that have left her beaten.
As I travel back to the city on my own, leaving my girl winging her way across the ocean, I feel as though my mothering role has come to an end today...and I am not sad, but rather left with a feeling of complate satisfaction and a sense of pride. I will always be her mother, but we are now equals and friends. She can fly on her own now, and I am glad. Maybe this is the ultimate goal of parenting; to see them fly free to discover for themselves who they are meant to be. She will always be mine, but she also belongs wholly to herself, and that makes my heart soar
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for taking the time to comment. It lets me know you're here and it really makes my day! :)