Leaving Texas to Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Can we go too?
This is not my usual "What card have I made today" post. My son took some vacation time from his job as a soldier in the United States Army to come to Texas to see family and friends. Tomorrow, he will undergo extensive oral dental surgery at Fort Sill and will remain on sick leave for 4 or 5 days to recuperate. It makes me feel terrible that I can't be there to hold his hand and reassure him. At 25 years of age, he is a little too old for that but I could tell that he is a little apprehensive about the surgery. I am sure the Army will take good care of him....but at the same time, I feel guilty that he has to go through this experience alone.
So, my question of the day is this:
As mothers, at what age do we "let go" and stop worrying about our children? Stop giving advice? Learn to listen and keep our mouth shut? As a mother of only one child....how do I stop wanting to protect him from everything? Do mothers with more than one child feel the sadness and anguish that I am feeling now? My answer: probably......it is our job! lol Our job, as mothers, is to raise them up in the way they should go....and they will not depart from it. I have done my job. I could not be prouder of my son who is kind, compassionate, giving, affectionate, financially disciplined, an over-achiever (like me), loyal and ambitious. He also can walk into a room and in five minutes or less, the room explodes in messiness. You can always tell where he is or what he is doing.....just follow the trail. lol
I just love it when he comes to see me. We have such a bond with each other and everything is so easy.
I absolutely hate it when he leaves because I do not like the extreme sadness I feel as I watch him drive away, and, with a smile on my face so he can't see the sadness..........wondering when I will see him again.
My last words today were "Don't forget to call me when you get there." His response, "You know I will forget but I know in exactly five hours from now you will be calling me repeatedly until I answer the phone."
My son knows me so well.
