Maybe I'm a helicopter parent. I don't like to think I am. I like my kids to figure things out on their own, and do things on their own. But I can't seem to give up on watching over them in a few areas.
For the longest time, I couldn't let them go to the park on their own. Strangers lurk there. Bad things make the news. I just couldn't let go. Today, they can go with their friends, no problem.
Walking to a friend's house also was out of the question, unless I could see the house. I'd walk them or, given the distance, drive them over. Now they ride over on their bikes, and I'm O.K.
The biggest difficulty I've had lately is letting my daughter go to the bus stop on her own. Work calls, so I can't wait for her to get on the bus. And I get anxious. I just don't want anyone seeing her leave the house and walk solo to the stop, especially the landscapers and construction workers that dot the neighborhood.
I'm trying to get over it. What's helped is arming her with a cell phone. O.K., I did that long before so that she could reach me in case of an emergency. But now, the phone is my virtual eyes. I make her text me when she gets to the stop and on the bus. She looks at me sometimes as though she thinks I'm crazy. Maybe I am??
I just want peace of mind. Too many crazy things happen in this world every day. I want to protect my kids from those awful things forever. And yet, they need to learn to do things on their own.
No text makes me go a little nuts. I called her school once to make sure she arrived. The next time she forgot to text, I was no less anxious, but I didn't call. The school would call if she were absent. That was my reassurance that she was O.K.
My daughter says she's not bothered by my overbearing ways (although sometimes she does look annoyed when I remind her to text). "You're just trying to be a good parent."
Yes I am.
Cheers!
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