You’re a JUNIOR. Seriously. Stop it.
That’s what I posted on my sixteen-and-a-half-year-old daughter’s Facebook page on her last day of school of being a sophomore.
It’s killing me.
This has been a year of firsts for her: her driver’s license, her first date, deciding to go on a mission trip.
The crazy thing is, I remember being sixteen-and-a-half. I remember getting my license. I remember my first date. I remember deciding to go on my first mission trip (then again, I was thirty-eight, so I should be able to remember that).
And now my baby is getting postcards from colleges trying to woo her to them, to which I think, “Back off, Fill-in-the-Blank College, she’s mine.”
I have been bemoaning time flying since my children were toddlers, but at the ripe old age of forty-two I am beginning to see the beauty of aging. Something gorgeous is happening. I have the great benefit of looking back over many, many years – and in this specific case – over the full lives of my two children and seeing their story from beginning to now. I can see the hand of God on their lives. I can see answered prayer. I can see things that I was so freaked out about and how God and time untangled it all. I can see how they’ve grown and changed and yet stayed fundamentally the person who they already were deep down when I held them the first time (my daughter, screaming and telling the world who she was; and my son, just taking it all in, all chill, like ‘hey mom, what’s up?’).
Don’t get me wrong, I still want time to slow down. (Like if I could halt it in this moment, I so totally would.) I still don’t want my kids to leave this house and go out on their own (though, don’t worry, I do really know my main parental job is to prepare them to leave and then to let them go, all the while acting like it’s not torturous). But I want them to stay just as they are for a few more minutes, hours, days, months, years.
But we can’t, can we? We must let our sweet ones go. As we come to a close of another year, I bet we have all said something like, “I cannot believe how fast this year went…” We are all looking back on speeding time and we are all looking ahead wishing, wistfully, that we could slow it down. But the show must go on. Our kids must go on. And we must let them.
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing. Ecclesiastes 3:1-5
Are your kids headed into a new season? How are you handling the growth? What advice would you give to other moms struggling to let go?
Elisabeth Corcoran
Elisabeth is mom to two teenagers. She is the author of several books including, In Search of Calm: Renewal for a Mother’s Heart and Calm in My Chaos: Encouragement for a Mom’s Weary Soul. Learn more about Elisabeth at www.elisabethcorcoran.com.
Follow Me:
That wasn’t mentioned when they were bending over backwards to take me to school functions and provide for my every need. I guess in my mind, I had set them up as the Mary Poppins of parents — practically perfect in every way! When I encountered them as an adult and not through the eyes of a little girl, I saw their struggles and weaknesses. When I realized that my almost perfect parents weren’t in fact — not perfect, I felt like my reality had been shifted. I saw their weaknesses, but even more than that I saw how God could work in them and through them in their weaknesses. I admit to struggling to grasp their imperfections when I had never noticed them before, but honestly, it made them more real to me and it opened the door to seeing how to interpret and live out their faith in life.
will release in traditional and ebook format. We are thrilled to be sharing these words of grace for mothers of newborns.
board book – I immediately thought this little book was precious – what with the handle and all. When I opened it up and read it to my children (even the 4 year old was interested), I fell in love. This is one of the best retellings of the story of Easter for wee ones. It covers every detail from Jesus’ ministry to His triumphal entry to the last supper to the garden. . .his arrest to the cross to His resurrection. I wouldn’t think to be so detailed in sharing Easter with my toddler but author Fiona Boon covers it all with words that can begin to penetrate your child’s heart. Accompanied by adorable illustrations from Lara Ede, this pair makes the deep and heavy story of Christ’s life and death seem bright and hopeful for children – and that’s exactly how it should be communicated. I highly recommend this book moms! Check it out through the link above or visit your local Christian bookstore to grab a copy and start sharing the hope of Easter with your little ones.
for girls – As a companion to her God’s Little Angel series, Sheila Walsh created this adorable devotional book for young girls. At first sight, my 4 year old was drawn to this book because of the colors and sparkles on the cover. Once inside, she was mesmerized by the cute and colorful layout. Although she can’t read quite yet, she picked up on the spirit of this book from it’s design. She even lit up {unprompted} when she flipped a page to find the word LOVE {which apparently she can read}. {I was able to capture that moment – see honestly candid pic above.} Each devotion includes an important lesson for young hearts along with a scripture, questions for discussion, and activity ideas. We have typically read the devotion at night before bed however, she is usually disappointed when we can’t do the activity at that moment so I will be switching our reading time to breakfast. No matter how and when you choose to use this book, it will be a great addition to your spiritual engagement with your girl. I highly recommend this book for girls age 3-8. Check it out at the link above or visit your local Christian bookstore to find a copy. This would make the PERFECT Easter basket gift!!
