I was in California for a national conference for the education of young children.
(Or some lengthy title that makes it sound official.)
I no longer have children at home so I was sure all would be well while I was out of town.
You know what this is leading to don't you?
You are right!
I don't think our plane had landed more than an hour or so.
Then I get this text message from my oldest son:
"Not to worry u but I got hit under the eye with a line drive and am waiting 2 get stitches at the hospital."
It was almost 10:00 p.m.
He had been playing softball with his team from work.
He sent me a picture of his eye, but remember my Ludditeness.
I do not know how to get it from my phone to the computer.
So you will have to envision it (or not.)
He luckily did not break any bones and there was no damage to his eye.
(I am trying to count our blessings.)
But he did get some deep stitches and 7 on top of that.
My children combined have had stitches approximately 30 times, we have had broken bones, microscopic surgery for a severed artery, nerve and 5 tendons in a wrist, had a diving accident with a brain bleed.... and other stuff. (I was starting to regress into traumatic- memory-mode so I stopped.)
My point was that in all those times, this has been the first time ever I was not around when something happened.
Granted my son is a young man.
Sometimes firsts for me just take time to adjust to.
I did thank him for the before and after pictures.
I told him it helped me feel like I was there.
He was kind about it, but pretty much said,
"I'm a big boy now mom."
What he said instead was,
"At least I still got the force out at 3rd."
I felt so much better after that!?
I'm always worried about not being around when something happens to my son. We're moms! We worry! It's how our vulnerable kids are protected! I like to think that God installed that in us for a useful purpose, but I have to keep mine in check so it doesn't become my SOLE purpose, you know?
ReplyDeleteYep, I know!
ReplyDeleteI have been blessed to have always been around when needed. Yet I know, even if I was here I don't think my college-graduate son would have invited me to hold his hand as I did when he was young.
But, you know, you are right. We're moms! FOREVER!
My kids have been hurt a few times when I was not around, but I was able to get to them quickly. A few months ago my eldest got married. When she got sick she did call me but there was little I could do. There is a comfort in knowing she is only 45 minutes away in case of an emergency. However, in a year she is going to be half way across the country. I keep telling myself she is an adult, but that really doesn't make it any easier.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful that she called "mom" even though she is a married woman?
ReplyDeleteThat says a lot!
Why and where will she be going?
Nah, adult children still register in a mom's heart as "my baby".
I blogged about one of my sons moving away on a July 23rd post and another on July 27th.
I bet you might be able to relate?
Put a new contact in your phone and it could be called "email" or something like that. Then put your email address in the contact info (and maybe a fake phone number cuz I think you have to put some number. Then when you have a picture and you hit "send" it will ask you if you want to send to a number in your contacts and you say yes, and fine "email." Send it and see if it shows up in your email. From there you click on the picture and save it to your computer......does that help??
ReplyDeleteIt helps a lot thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am going to try that.