Letting Go

Hannah has started dating. In fact, she officially has a boyfriend. They’ve been “going out” for a few weeks but had only been seeing each other at school until this past weekend when he asked her to go to a party with him. Dale and I told her this was fine so long as he came to pick her up and we got to meet him.

So he came to pick her up last Friday night. I shook his hand, Dale shook his hand. He was very polite and respectful. And then they left.

After they left all I could think about was when Hannah was a toddler and moved from a crib into a bed. Suddenly I didn’t know for sure where she was all the time. Up until then I would put her in her crib and she would stay there until I came and let her out. Once she was in a bed all bets were off – she could get out on her own and wander around the house. It was a very unsettling feeling.

And that’s just how I felt on Friday night. Suddenly I didn’t know for sure where she was. And I certainly didn’t know for sure what she was doing. I know this is the part where I let her go and trust that she’ll do the right thing and remember everything I’ve taught her. It’s harder than I thought it would be, though.

I might have to start drinking more.

Related Posts

About That Eclipse

Yesterday was the solar eclipse and I was in an area of 92% magnitude which…

academy award in front of blue alien character
About That Awards Show

Photo by Mirko Fabian on Pexels.com Turns out that the combination of Daylight Savings Time…

This Post Has 72 Comments

  1. Oh, honey… I’m not quite there, but soon enough. It’s so bittersweet watching them grow up, isn’t it? I was thinking yesterday about my youngest in her little lion costume when she was trick or treating for the first time… now she’s as tall as I am and wears my shoes.

    xo

  2. I know just how you feel!!
    Now we hope that what we have taught them for all these years stays with them and they are ready to make responsible decisions.

  3. Haven’t been there yet, but your analogy is spot on! That’s a beautiful photo of her btw. I hope she had a great time.

  7. {{hugs}} BTDT – both daughters are now in their late 20’s, and don’t get in any (much) trouble as they wander around the house. 😉

  9. I’m there with you… it’s a totally different kind of worry and I don’t like it one bit!!! Have a glass of wine or two 🙂

  13. I hope Hannah reads your blog, and sees how much you care in writing.

    Remember how much knitting can calm the troubled mind. I suspect these early dates will be BIG knitting opportunities!

  14. I am so not ready for that! We have a few years before the boyfriends can drive (right now the ‘boyfriends’ are boys she sees in school and nothing more).

    I think I might start drinking more now – maybe in three years I can handle it.

  18. She’s lovely! BTDT x 2 (with twin girls), who are now 42 and raising 3 and 2 kids respectively. You’ll make it – hang in there and knit more 🙂

  19. And you DO know you’ve taught her the right things.
    🙂
    You’ll be fine (I suspect). And she’ll make her own mistakes, as we ALL do! (can you tell that I’m STILL working on this, and mine will be 31 next month??? with 3 sons???)
    (but the drinking part? well….all in moderation)
    (((((hugs)))))

  20. Unsettling, isn’t it? My advice is, save the heavy drinking for later on, ‘cuz it only gets worse! Sorry.

  21. I think of myself as a pretty chilled out mother, and thinking of this just made me hyperventilate. Deep breaths…..I’m sure you’ll all make it through.

  22. Pace yourself–you have a few more years to go! What was worse for me than the first date was the first broken heart, something I never wanted to have to see my kid go through, but was inevitable.

  23. I feel for you.
    I don’t want to think about the stuff that is coming down the road. Right now, that loose tooth on the top is killing me even more than losing the bottom teeth.

  26. Every age has new challenges – for us and for them. I am definitely glad I have quite a few years until the dating should start!

  27. Letting go is a gradual thing. This is a first step. You’ll get better at it as time goes by, especially if you know you’ve prepared her well. And the good thing is, you are still right there if she needs guidance.

  28. a glass of wine and a spinning wheel do wonders when you are waiting for them to come home. You raised her right….she will do fine :).

  31. I feel your pain (my daughter is the same age as Hannah). You’re joking about the drinking, right? They follow our lead, and you certainly don’t want her to get into drinking. I think you’re kidding.

    We front load. We knit. We move on.

  33. My son turns 15 in March and will have a driver’s permit. I am banking sleep (ha!) until he turns 16 and is driving on his own.

    I’ll drink a toast to our kids making good decisions.

  34. She’s a good kid. She’ll be fine and you’ll be fine. Just don’t think about what you were doing at her age! 😉

    Love ya!

  35. It was the learning to drive and letting them use the car that sent me over the edge. 😉 And, as Becky said, the first broken heart was really hard to see.

    Wine, spinning, and knitting helps.

  36. I’m not quite there yet but I know what you mean about letting go. Middle School has brought more changes faster than I ever imagined. It’s a really scary ride but it’s kind of exciting too when your kid starts to blossom. I’m sure that wine will help a lot.

  39. As you know, I feel your pain. When Dobby started dating, we made sure that scary (looking) Uncle Dave was at the house, Harley and all, when the prospective BF showed up for their date. ;o)

    She’ll be okay, you’ve raised a wonderful, thoughtful, self-assured, responsible young lady. :o)

  40. Fora good kid, knowing your parents trust you can be the best preventative of all. And Hannah is a good kid and a smart girl. But just in case, it probably wouldn’t hurt if Dale was cleaning his rifle the next time her boyfriend came to pick her up.

  41. I wish I could say it got easier – mine is 19 and the curent BF, let’s just say I don’t like him one bit. Hopefully we taught them well and that they will remain the thoughtful and responsible young ladies we know they are 🙂

  44. She’s a smart girl with a good head on her shoulders and a wonderful mother who loves her very much – I’m sure she’ll be fine.

    Just as I’m sure that nothing we can say will make you stop worrying. 🙂 In which case, I’m with Claudia…mmm, vodka.

  45. ah yes – I remember these exact same kinds of moments with both my girls. and I totally agree, it’s very difficult.
    am laughing over Claudia’s comment…. and yup, I agree with her, drink the good stuff 🙂

  47. I can’t say as I’m looking forward to the dating either. They grow up so very fast. Blink is all it takes isn’t it?

  48. Oh, my. Well, she’s lovely and well raised. That’s the best you can do (and it’s pretty good, I’d have to say…) I get anxiety attacks when I think about my kids driving around with other kids, which I know is just months away. You’re right. Time for a couple of scoops of vanilla ice-cream with limoncello sloshed all over it.

  50. Yikes. The scariest part is that she’s only three years older than Miss B. Or is it four? In any case, it’s not enough.

    LOL at Danielle’s comment. He will be hopelessly entangled in yarn and poked black and blue before he knows what hit him.

Comments are closed.

Back To Top