Learning to let go

Being a parent is never easy. Yes, sometimes it is fun and can always be rewarding, but it is never easy. The hardest part? Learning to let them grow up. I remember when mine where just little babies. I couldn't wait for the day they would walk. That day came and what happened? I held their hands. I couldn't make myself let go. What if they fall and get hurt? What if, what if, what if.....I can go on forever. I am having a hard time with letting them grow up. We are trying to teach them how to take care of themselves. Teaching them to cook, clean, and how to take care of and help each other. That is our job right? So why is it so hard to let them actually do it after we spent so much time trying to teach them? Is it the what if fear again? Or is it just the " I am not ready for them to grow up yet" fear? I know I can't keep them little forever. I know that I can't keep them in the house forever. The day will come when they get their own places to live and will move out. I am in no way, shape, or form anywhere near Close to dealing with this yet, but I will have to get there one day. I won't have a choice. They will make their own mistakes in life and I have to be strong enough to let them. I have to be strong enough to let them make the mistake and wait patiently until they ask for help. Stepping in to make it all better will only teach them that I can fix it. They have to learn from the mistake or it wasn't worth making. I have learned this the hard way in my own life. My parents stepped in and fixed it. I didn't learn anything and so I just did it again. I did get myself into a position eventually that my parents couldn't get me out of....thats when I grew up. Thats when the light bulb came on and I learned from my mistakes. I have never forgotten that valuable lesson and feel our kids need to learn that lesson in order to grow up and be strong, responsible adults. I am now on a new road of learning and that is learning to let the kids become the adults that I know they can be. No one ever said that life is easy, but being a parent is sometimes the hardest part.