Today for the first time my oldest teenage son drove his brother and then himself to school. He received his driver's license last week. It is a Right of Passage in a country that has few of them. There were my two babies, in one car, taking car of themselves.
I asked my angels to watch over them today. The two beings I care most about in all the Universe are out there amongst the traffic and other drivers. I want every one in the world to meet them and give me a promise that they will watch out for my children. That they will never experience hurt or pain. But this is not possible. Just in driving away, I know that they must and are living their own life experience. I am left at the doorstep, being thankful that I have been allowed to play the role of their mother in this life time. And wow, what a double blessing that is.
Now they are these healthy, beautiful young men: poised, intelligent, funny and so very different one from the other. I know that I did an incredible job as a mom as they are both so wonderful. No, it wasn't so much that I formed such beautiful beings, but that I provided the space for them to become themselves. That is the most that we can offer as parents--to not get in their way. God has created two spirits that want a chance to experience life on this planet, and I was blessed with the chance to be their mother.
I know that I will always be a part of their lives. That some part of them will always have a use for old mom. But they don't need me to break up fights over the last can of soda, or that jumping on the sofas at IKEA is not acceptable, or throwing snowballs into a mailbox destroys the letters inside. As they grow, they will need help with college admission forms, cheering at ballroom competitions and a comforting presence when heartbreaks occur. Someday, I may even get to watch over my grandchildren!
This is a new phase of parenting for me and a new road of responsibility for them. Gone are the days when they had to sit far apart from one another so that they would not kick each other in the face while driving on the freeway. Now they can even agree on which radio station to play. Wow.
Life brings change. Today was a big one for my family.
Namaste,
Heather Leigh
