I was standing outside our middle school room at church and I was just watching Drew while he was hanging out with his friends. I was just wanting to see how he was acting, what he was doing etc. You know, being a mom! Our middle school pastor walked up to me and said, "Hey, Helicopter Mom!" I looked at him stunned because I was not sure what he meant by that. He started laughing and said, "you are hovering." I thought it was hilarious because I was doing just that and had never heard it put quite that way.
Well, I want to hover this week while Drew is in Mexico and I can't. All we have heard since they got there is that they arrived ok. I am glad to have heard that but I want much more. I want to know exactly what is going on and I can't. It is a very weird feeling for me. I want to hover but I can't.
I have to trust that all is well with Drew and the team and continue on with life here. I have no choice. This is good for me, I know. God wants for me to trust Him with my son and allow him to work in his life without my interference - imagine that. What a hard lesson to learn. As my kids grow, I should step back and allow the Holy Spirit to move in them, to convict them and not me (all the time). It is exciting and scary at the same time.
I can promise you this: It has increased my prayer life. Nothing like a 11 year old in Mexico with a youth group to keep you up at night!
2 comments:
This is so true and funny. I can't wait to here how it all went!!!
Man, I know the feeling. My oldest went with the high school last summer to Germany and Czech Republic. I couldn't sleep all night when I knew she was flying on a plane over the ocean! And what if she lost her passport somewhere? What were they doing each day, who were they talking to? I wanted to be there with her. I heard from her once the whole trip and that was on voice-mail because I missed her call. Silly, I know, I cried about it.
I'm hovering also in her life in general. She is almost 17 and I'm not dealing with the whole "she's growing up" thing well. I need prayer about it. Talk about fear, she is almost fully cooked!
Boy, I'm not saying all my responses are correct, fear, doubt, insecurity for her, etc. But they are there and they are real. I know I need prayer and to be able to just know she is in the Lord's hands.
It doesn't make you a bad mom, rather a good one. There are some mom's I have encountered who don't pay attention to their children at all. It's good to "step back", but not good to "check out". The hard part is finding the balance between the two. Ugg...
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