I’m Not Letting You Go, Okay Kids?

I spent two hours last night looking at preschools for our 3yo Toddler. Scary, right? YES! I swear it was just last week that I spent two hours pushing her out. Such a cliché to say they grow up so fast, but it’s so true.

Soon enough she’ll be taking a bus (by herself!) to kindergarten, then going to a sleepover at a friend’s house, then doing a competition for some sort of dangerous sport where she could get hurt, then learn how to drive a car by herself, then – gasp  – leave the house … forever.

I don’t baby my children, and I don’t treat them like precious little snowflakes. I’m not a helicopter mom. I’m not that kind of parent. I try to let my kids make their own mistakes, short of letting them hurt themselves. I’ve always pledged to let my kids be kids and be free to learn and grow on their own, since I’ve always known they’re going to one day leave the nest.

I just didn’t think it’d start happening so soon. One foot’s already out! … Okay, okay, maybe just one finger.

You know, I went to college seven hours away from my parents house in another country (just Canada, so about as close to the US as could be), and I really have no idea how my parents handled it. I would’ve melted down completely. Being 18 – innocent, naive, and fearless, yet completely sure I could handle life on my own, I guess because my parents prepared me well – I had no idea of the emotions my parents must have felt. Fast forward fifteen years, and I think I might sob uncontrollably and lock my daughter at home to keep her from leaving me.

Just kidding. But I do have serious trepidation about how I’ll handle my girls flying from the nest. If I’m getting verklempt (Side note: yes, that really is how that’s spelled – crazy, huh? Just learned that now.) over my first born going to preschool for a few hours for just two or three days a week, I’m going to have a hard time down the road!

Time to chill out and loosen the reins, mama!….

Anybody else feeling this way?