Sharing the Experiences

I'm so conflicted!

Part jealousy and part pride - yes, my baby boy once again.

All my life, I've wanted to sing the National Anthem before an event and never have had the opportunity to do so. Yesterday, amidst the threat and turmoil of bad weather, my son was invited to sing the National Anthem before the start of a soccer game. Once again, he did AWESOME.

Sorry, Valley Girl moment again - the eighties are coming back, you know. But I digress.

Beforehand he was rather nervous, but after doing such a fabulous job he wished he'd have volunteered to sing it for sporting events throughout the school year. The choir has sung it several times during the basketball season, but otherwise they typically get the canned CD offering.

There's something to be said about the live version though.

So as part of remembering these senior year moments, I had to show up and take pictures. I'm putting together a little montage of his life for his graduation and decided to include this moment in the mix. That's part of the pride thing there, don't you know.

So enjoy more pictures of milestones in my son's life. At least I get to share in the experiences. :-)

Homecoming Happenings

Well tonight is the night of homecoming and all goes well thus far.

My son still is on tap with his date (they confirmed pick-up this afternoon) and has plans to meet with a group of friends and their dates for dinner before the dance. They're all looking forward to a fun, splendid time together.

Once again, we're having positive moments that continue to build on each other throughout his milestones of life. Senior year grades are holding up very well, he's connected deeply with guys in his youth group and made tons of new friends, his connection to the Lord is growing stronger every day, college is heavily in focus, and now an opportunity to take a lovely young lady to his high school dance.

This week we spent some time re-watching some of his Mark Gungor DVD's concerning Sex, Dating, and Relating. Then there's the Manly Man conference bonus DVD, but you don't want me to go there.

I've tried very hard to raise my son with a positive awareness of what it means to be a man of courage and character, to understand the differences in how men and women think, to be aware of pitfalls in dating and relationships, and to see realistically how physical intimacy in a relationship too often replaces true intimacy. These DVD's don't necessarily try to give a moral argument against sex and its equivalents before marriage (though they are from a Christian perspective) but a real-world argument about how physical intimacy before marriage too often destroys the foundation and trust needed for a marriage to succeed long-term.

I think we can see how that is daily played out in our culture.

I've made my own mistakes in this regard and wish very much to protect my son from the hurt, heartache, and disappointment that destruction leaves in its wake. I know in the end it will be his choice how to conduct himself in his relationships as he leaves the nest. But I never want him to come back and ask why no one ever told him. For me, I want to know that my son has a chance to live life and live it abundantly.

Maybe then he can be part of the solution instead of continuing to be a part of the problem. But for tonight, we'll just get past homecoming and his first real date.

Lord help me be able to sleep tonight. :-)

The Big 1-8 Approaches

The big week is finally here - yes, my baby boy turns 18. He's almost an official adult.

But he still lives in my house, so my house my rules still applies. And yes, I've already had that talk with him. I'm still the control-freak that way. :-)

There's a big surprise awaiting him and his friends come Friday night, and I sure hope my son relishes the moment. I've had this planned since fifth grade.

Yes, I'm also an advance planner by nature, as well as the control-freak.

Even with being in school and living off of my savings at the moment, there was no way I could put aside what I've wanted to do for him for so long. I'll get another job in about six or seven months when school is done and replenish that savings account quickly (God willing). So I think a little extra tap-in is in due order for such a momentous event.

After all, it isn't every day that your one and only child turns 18. One must take advantage of those milestones and celebrate.

I'll let you know how it turns out this weekend.

Another Milestone

My guts have turned into butterflies. My son leaves early tomorrow morning for his big school choir trip to Dallas. He's excited. I'm nervous. Not sure why. Wait a minute - I think I do.

It isn't that I don't think he can handle it. My son has traveled extensively with me when I go on business trips. He's been to Alaska, California, Colorado, Texas, D.C., etc., etc., etc., knows his way through navigating airports and baggage claim, and is rather adept at getting places with everything he needs and returning home with everything he took (and then some). No, I have a feeling he's going to be just fine in that regard. The problem seems to be all mine.

I have to let go of my need to control.

You see, I'm a planner by nature for more reasons than one. I've spent most of his life trying to protect him as much as possible from the chaos that seems to follow me. Experiences are a very important component of life, but when I'm the one planning the experiences I'm also the one who controls it to (hopefully) avoid the possibility of a bad experience. Just being able to be a kid is important, and I've tried to guard him from the worries and cares of life - he's faced more things in his short years than most adults do in a lifetime.

This trip is a milestone for both of us then. None of his buds are in the choir. He's rooming with guys I don't know. Someone else will be responsible for the well-being of my son. I want SO BADLY for this to be a positive and wonderful experience, but that is no longer up to me.

I thought about going as a sponsor when the trip was announced earlier this school year. Decided not to. We talked about it, and he's happy to be going on his own (i.e. without me). But he needs this. He needs to know that he can be responsible for himself. He needs to know that he can have a good time without old mother-dear holding his hand so he can cross the street (Disclaimer - I haven't done that in a long time, okay). He's going to do more than survive this trip; he's going to flourish!

I'll just be so glad to hear about it when he comes back home Sunday night. By then, he'll probably be too tired to talk about it.