Boy am I feeling pretty puny right now. My oldest, my son, is away on a three day two night trip. He went to Sea Camp on a school trip. It’s an awesome opportunity. We had to scrimp and save for a few weeks but we knew this would be a great experience for him. One that I knew would make him learn and grow. Little did I know how much I would learn and grow from this experience.
You see, there’s no electronics allowed on the trip. No Nintendo DS, no MP3 players and definitely no cell phones. The chaperons assured us that if they wanted to call that they would allow them to use their cell phones to call home. They also assured us that they wouldn’t call. They would be too busy, too tired, and having such a good time that they just wouldn’t. I on the other hand knew he would call me. I thought, “He’s my first born. He’s a Momma’s boy. He’s going to have an uncontrollable urge to call me and I will get a call.” “If anything,” I said to myself with confidence, “he will call me just to share all of the cool stuff that is going on.”
Sigh. This is night two and he hasn’t called. I watched my phone ready to pounce on it all day. I even made calls to and from the cell phone and house phone to make sure both were working. Nothing. He’s ten and he’s realized that he can survive without talking to his mom. I knew this day would come. In fact, I wanted it to come, just not yet. Somewhere between his first year and high school and his first year in college is when I wanted it to come…not in 5th grade! It’s just too early for him to know that he doesn’t need me.
When it comes down to it I guess I’ve learned a lot this weekend too: My son is growing up whether I like it or not. I should cherish the times that I still have with him where he is still a kid…the times when he thinks his mom is the smartest person in the world…the times when he thinks his mom is cool…the times that he just wants to hang out with his mom. I know those days and moments are numbered.
It makes me sad and proud at the same time. He’s growing up. He’s becoming confident in himself and comfortable in being without his family. I now know that he has a chance to be everything I hoped he would be. It’s just all too soon and very hard to swallow. Momma’s little boy is becoming his own little man.
Tags: growing up, Momma's Little Boy, School Trip, Sea Camp
