Time To Let Go

From the time my kids have been babies, I have looked forward to the next milestone in their development. Rolling over, sitting, crawling, walking, talking....all the things that kids do on the road to independence. In the past couple of weeks, Connor has taken a few more steps with more to come in the upcoming weeks.

Last weekend Connor had a rifle match in Wenatchee. Due to scheduling conflicts, neither Keith nor I were able to take him for the first match on Friday. Fortunately, we have some great friends whose son is also on the team and they willingly let Connor tag along. Granted, Connor was still supervised by our friend and in the fold of his rifle team, but I have a feeling Connor experienced some sort of freedom. Keith did make it up to the match on Saturday and they both returned home Sunday with 1 medal and 2 trophy plaques.

Then on Tuesday, Connor wanted to go to an aquarium club meeting in Seattle. I had other commitments that night and Keith did not have time to drive the hour home and turn around and head back to Seattle so we found a solution that actually worked very well. I drove Connor to Sumner, bought him a train ticket to Seattle and Keith picked him up at the station when he arrived. Connor made it safely and is looking forward to the next club meeting and a ride on the train. I'm sure it helped somewhat that we have ridden the train in Utah so he sort of knew what to do.

I know I am able to handle these excursions, letting go of the apron strings and all, because my parents did the same for me. Anytime I wanted to go on a school trip to Washington DC or Europe; visit my aunt and uncle in Germany; fly to Anchorage for a date; or any of the other great adventures I had, my parents always supported me and my hair-brained ideas. Even though I worry about Connor when he is gone, I know I am providing opportunities for him that will hopefully make him a better person and fulfill another one of his dreams.