One of my friends once told me,"The most realistic goal of parenting in the teenage years was to not hurt each other so much between 15-18 that you can't mend your friendship later as adults."
Harsh. But realistic.
My youngest, still a teenager, isn't quite an adult, but getting there. He's in boarding school (yes, there's a story behind that). He and I had a sweet conversation this weekend for Mother's Day. We just talked and talked like old friends. The teacher overseeing the call told us we had to "wind it up" we were talking so long.
Of course absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I'm sure, come summer, when we're together in California, we'll have our share of readjustments to being under the same roof.
But, he IS maturing. And so am I. There is hope.
I miss seeing him so much that I snagged this screen capture while talking. It's a long time not being able to see him more than 6 months, between January 3 and July 10th. I try not to think about it, it makes me really sad.
The sadness also gets mixed in with my still being mad at him.
For Jim and I, children came later than we expected. And then those children left earlier than we'd expected making us early empty nesters. We're getting used to it, but still I feel I've been robbed of at least 3 years of having my children under my roof.
How do I deal with that mix of emotions? Humor. Before they left, I took spiteful photos of the state of my home on the days I wasn't a terrible nag. Those photos have come in handy on those days when I miss him so much.
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