I tell my daughter, “Even though you’re only ten you’re already smart enough to take care of yourself. But you get to live with us as long as you like until you want to go off on your own.”
She nods. She fully understands. I turn my face to traffic so she can’t see tears in my eyes.
She walks the huge dog like a champ. Her shoulders back and her little chest up. She walks the dog like a boss. LIKE A GODDANMED BOSS. She is my heart.
Yeah, she’ll leave your house. If you’re lucky, you’ll never leave her heart. Aw, that’s too schmaltzy to hit the “submit” button. A lovely little piece and a great pic, by the way.
@Wendy
At LIG, Erika Davis-Pitre said, “Appeasement doesn’t look like appeasement until they’re in their twenties.” She said a lot of other stuff that got my attention, at that talk. And that’s what you’re “If you’re lucky, you’ll never leave her heart” means to me. And it’s not “schmaltzy”, it’s lovely. 🙂
I’ve made a point to tell my child that she is and always will be welcome in my home. Growing up, I was told from a very young age that I had to leave once I finished high school, and that I wasn’t welcome as an adult for any extended period of time. It’s so important, I think, for kids to know that they can fly, but that there is always a place for them at home. I think it serves to give them the courage to actually go forth in the world, among other things.
@Christina
I meet a lot of young adults who think they’re “failures” in some way for still living at their parents’. Now while I know there is a cultural aspect to that, I also think that when we as parents apply pressure, our OWN dreams/ideals, and “manage” their successes etc. it creates a pressured environment. Harder for the kids to thrive, more likely they’ll feel resentment, et cetera.