Hurry up. We are going to be late. Come on! #swearwords

Sound familiar?

Truth. These words frequently come out of my mouth. Unfortunately, I don’t seem to notice myself saying them in the moment. Then, I might stumble upon a family picture from a year or two earlier and take note of how much the kids have changed. I think to myself, “Why was I in such a hurry?”

A few weeks back, we took my oldest to overnight camp for the first time. The camp that I went to when I was her age. I learned so many valuable things there, as did she. When I was there, I learned that if you want to meet new people you just have to say hi. I learned that I will be OK without my parents. I learned that I have choices. I can go on and on, but my point is this... It feels like it was just yesterday that I was learning all of these simple life skills and now my little one is off on her own meeting new people and making her own choices. For the past eight years, I have been introducing her to people and making choices for her. I have been hurrying her along from one activity to the next and from one year to another year. And, just like that she is off on her own and I want to take it all back and slow it all down. 

Horsetooth July 2019

I am still struggling with letting go and letting her make her own decisions. Selfishly, I want her to do the sports that I played or join the teams that will be fun to go and watch with other families that are involved. The reality is, she is paving her own path, making her own decisions, and along the way finding her better. Man…what a realization. In order for my kids to be their best, I have to let go and allow them the freedom to listen to their own little hearts. I would love to hear from others that have gone through similar situations with their kids or loved ones and any tips and tricks you have!