Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Writer's Workshop~ PROM? Scary?

This post is inspired by Mama Kat's Writing Workshop.


     Watching your 17 year son old go on a prom date. Now that is scary!!! 


     I'd have to say my scariest moments of late have involve this new sport I've picked up: mountain biking. But not as scary as watching your kid grow into a man and grow away from you. 
     
      Mountain biking is scary and that's why I like it. There is a thrill riding down a steep hill into a dry rocky river bed, up a hill and then down, around and around again. And while it's scary,  it's also a huge adrenaline rush. So the element of being scared is overrun by the rush you get from it. It's a mental and physical thing blended together wonderfully. 
      
    My riding partner is my son, Parker, who is now an 18 year old muscly young man and doesn't mind riding with his 50 year old mom.  He is very athletic, funny, hardworking and one of the shyest kids I know. He's just like his dad. They don't talk unless they are in their comfort zone and then they don't shut up.  Besides the sixth grade, which really doesn't count, Parker has never had a girlfriend."Girls are stupid"(His words). All those years of playing club and high school basketball didn't leave much time for anything else. His interests totally revolved around sports. When he decided not to play basketball his senior year, he got a job and got into mountain biking and road biking.He stayed as busy as ever.No girls ever were mentioned and I felt lucky we missed the drama of high school romance. 
     That is~ we missed it until the end of his senior year,which was just a couple of months ago. Sure enough I start noticing a trend of him going to the mall with "friends" who just happen to be girls. Going to eat. Weird. Extremely unusual~ even though his friend, who always has girl friends, would go too;I thought it weird."Just a friend Mom"  Haha…yeah I'm not dumb, I teach high schoolers.  Oh and all the texting. Um hum. Anyway, I come home one day and am greeted with the biggest smile in the world. "Mom. Guess what? I'm going to prom!" HUH? What the? Really? (A month earlier the mention of prom produced  huge eye rolls and Are you stupid? looks
 But...Yep. He did. And not only that~ he picked out his own tux, flowers, took care of the limo, everything with HER in tow.  And had a blast. In fact….prom turned into ….well….a relationship with a girl???!!!!! What a ride!! 
     So what is scary about that? 
     Well... what is scary is how the man he has a potential to be is starting to come out. The boy is diminishing. I see him using manners, being thoughtful and putting her feelings in front of his (Oh the horrors). I see him doing things like going to the mall, grocery store, boring errands, and trying new foods he hates ~with pleasure. I see him making sure to spend time at her house and at our house. He even bought me a Mother's Day gift with HIS own money. By golly the kid IS thoughtful. "She" of course has a lot to do with it. She is the perfect girlfriend a mom would like to see their son with. He picked a girl with strong values and morals and that even says a lot. Oh I know he's just beginning a relationship and not getting married or anything, but  I see him maturing and growing in ways that I know at some point will lead him away from me, from us. I know it's good, right and natural, but it's also scary. Some day, even these days…she is the center of his world and not me…not any more. 
     So it's kind like looking down a mountain and knowing that the only way down is to ride carefully using the breaks when necessary knowing it's the only way to get where you need to go.It's got to be done. It's waiting for the adrenaline to kick in and hide the "scary-ness." It's a mental and physical thing blended together wonderfully. 

     



8 comments:

dawn said...

Wait!
Did I write that article? Love your metaphor with mnt biking. And, yes, it is a transition when our young men replace us for 'another woman.' But, in truth, we know that NO ONE can replace mama!! I just pray they'll find a healthy girl who brings long-lasting joy, enriches his life and challenges him to be the best he can be!

katie eggeman said...

Watching our kids grow up and away from us is scary, but we survive...I am now watching grandchildren grow up...It is going too quickly.

Anonymous said...

Ah. You're me in about 14 years time. My boys don't even have chest hair yet and I'm already terrified. I shall remember your mountain biking analogy when I'm in the process of being relegated to the "Mom sidelines". I just hope my boys are as generous and kind as yours.

SisterSister said...

I've been through this with my oldest. It is scarey....I think for me it was more that I was scared for HIM! would he make choices that would lead him to a happy life, etc?

great post and hi from mk's

Anonymous said...

I only have a nephew (no kids yet) and it's already terrifying to watch him grow up! Great post

EMily said...

Awwww...it has got to be both scary and rewarding at the same time to see your child grow up and become an adult.

Mad Woman behind the Blog said...

Yes, definitely scary. I hope I can handle my children's maturing with the same grace.
And I loved the analogy... this parenting thing, is a bit of a thrill ride, isn't it?

RobynHTV said...

Oh my, they do grow up so fast, don't they? I love the analogy you drew between his growth and biking - very clever!