I was sat for ages trying to think of a title for this post, but since it’s a random ramble I thought ‘Life Update’ was accurate enough.
So today I’m a little bit emotional. I am so proud of both of my boys, they really are turning out to be pretty amazing young men and fabulous human beings.
Obviously the human being bit didn’t take any work, but I like to think that the men they look to be becoming in the future is down at least partly to the way Si and I bring them up. Actually I gave birth to them, so I guess I can claim credit for the human being part too…
Anyway today is especially emotional as not only has my eldest son turned 12, but his little brother has also headed off on school camp for five days. FIVE days, to me this seems like a very long time.
As a parent I have the mix of being oh so proud that my ‘baby’ has the confidence to go off to camp on his own, and the eek feeling of I have never been away from either of them for so long.
As parents we want to instil in them the confidence to go off in to the world and do their own thing, to feel secure enough to have that willingness to be independent. So I have put a smile on my face for the last week and only mentioned a brief I’ll miss you when I dropped him off.
In classic Harley style, he made me kiss him goodbye somewhere where his friends wouldn’t spot us, which did make me laugh. It felt weird though to come home and know that I wouldn’t see him until Friday.
I’m so glad his brother will be home after school today, as even though I am used to an empty house when they’re both at school, it feels a lot emptier today.
He will be having a whale of a time though camping in a tent, canoeing, having a Viking reenactment (the teachers must be slightly mad as that sounds like chaos in the making) and generally feeling that much more grown up being away from home.
I suspect I will have a huge pile of washing to do when he comes home again. Luckily they are taking them swimming on the way back, so at least he shouldn’t smell too much like he’s just camped for five days with other boys and smelly trainers all in a small space.
I really do feel it is so important for children to develop that sense of independence and to have a taste of what it is like without their parents supervising them all the time. Eventually these mini people will fly the nest and they – and we – need to be able to cope with that. I suspect I will find it harder than they will, and that really is how it should be.
With my eldest turning 12 on the same day, it was always going to be a bit emotional for me. I’m not emotional in the sense of wishing they could stay this age for ever – at times I may fleetingly wish this, until the tween hormones give us a day of fun…. I feel emotional because I feel so very proud of these not so mini men of mine.
Their growing confidence, their kindness to others, the way they look after each other at times and me, their absolutely cheeky sense of humours. All of this and more I am proud of.
Days like today really bring it home to me just how lucky I am, I may not be the richest woman alive – I usually check my bank with crossed fingers and vain hopes of a mystery benefactor. I may not be ‘perfect’ in any way sense or form, but I am ridiculously lucky.
As cheesy as it sounds (seriously even I feel a bit icky saying it) my little family and my home is full of love and laughter. Regardless of anything else we cope with, that to me is everything I need.
Stevie
**I am honestly not about to google to see how dangerous canoes can be in the hands of 10 year olds**
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