As a mom, when our kids get to the point where they can go off and live on their own; we start to worry. Maybe worry isn’t the right word…we wonder and question: will they be okay? Will they make it? What if they’re hungry? What if they can’t pay rent?
Hold up.
Isn’t that part of life?
Raise your hand if you’ve ever struggled to make ends meet. 1, 2, 3, …102937928695. You can put your hands down now. Raise your hand if you had to buy dinner off the dollar menu because you paid all your bills but had nothing left for food. 1, 2, 3, …9237948720374. Okay, great, you can put your hands down.
Sounds like this is familiar territory. So why is it so hard for us mommas to let our kids grow wings and fly the coop?
Because it’s hard.
And not just hard because they won’t be home every day, but hard because life is hard.
They WILL struggle to pay their bills. They WILL have to settle for dollar menu because that’s all they can afford. They WILL have to buy the cheap shampoo for the month of December so they can get their loved ones all they’ve ever wanted to give them. And won’t they be better for it?
When I was in college, I knew which store had the cheapest shampoo. Which store had the cheapest laundry detergent. Which store had the cheapest fresh fruits and vegetables. (Who am I kidding on that last one? I ate cardboard pizza and bagels and looked like a bean pole!)
What I’m trying to say is, they will figure it out. They honestly will. And let’s say they don’t. What’s the worse that they will happen? They move back home? Weren’t you sad when they left? Now they’re coming home!
Another one of my teens is moving out. She’s done it all on her own and I couldn’t be prouder. She has so much love and support from so many people, she will be just fine. Her situation is completely different than mine when I moved out. And that’s exactly how I want it to be. I want her to be able to do her thing, live on her own, but have a great start; better than what I had. Then maybe, when her kids venture out on their own, she will be able to set them up even better than I did for her.
So mommas, take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. Watch from a close distance and pray your heart out.
And then feed them.
Love, Jessie
true life hot mess mom 