A while back, I saw a photo on Pinterest that said, Stop doing things for your children that they can do for themselves. With it was a picture of a girl having her hair and teeth brushed by her mom.
Being the naturally insecure, everything I do is probably wrong woman that I am, I shuddered a little. I brush my ten year old’s hair. Like, almost every night.
She can do it herself, but often times she brings me her brush and asks me to. At bedtime, she’ll hop on my bed, or I’ll hop on hers, and I’ll brush out the knots out while we chat and giggle. She might mention a certain boy and I might tell her an embarrassing story from my childhood. Then, as I begin to braid her hair, “Tightly, please, Mommy,” I tell her, once again, how I adore her thick locks and that I would kill for my thin hair to be as thick and gorgeous as hers. She smiles, still at the age where she is allowed to visibly enjoy a compliment. Then, I’ll tuck her into bed, pray over her and give her a kiss. Usually, she’ll pray for me, too.
Sometimes, she’s not ready to fall asleep and ask me to “give her something to think about.” Because an idle mind in a dark room late at night can wreak havoc. So I’ll give her a scenario. “What if our entire world was made of candy? What would everything be made from?” Or, “Pretend you’re opening your own business. What is it called? What do you do?”
Or, because she is my child that loves to give, “What would you do with a million dollars? Who could you help?”
Then, she’ll give me a scenario and we’ll promise to discuss them in the morning.
Eventually, I get to go to bed myself. Often forgoing brushing my own hair, because I’m so dang tired. And really, with hair this thin, it can wait til morning.
Then, a few months ago, my Grandpa passed away. The day he passed, we were all at my Grandma’s house, sitting with her. We talked and cried and sat and said nothing. At some point, the conversation got around to hair or children, or something because I heard myself saying, “I still brush and braid Soleil’s hair every night. But I know I should stop because she knows how to do it herself,” This I added because I had just seen that picture on Pinterest and was feeling like I was probably screwing up.
“And you don’t think she likes that?” My Grandma asked as if she was talking to a very small child.
I looked at Grandma’s weary face and nodded. “She loves it.”
“Well then.” She said. All at once, I saw the wisdom of the 86 years she’d lived. The 67 years of marriage. The four children she had raised. And I knew. I knew that if she could go back and brush and braid their hair and snuggle with them at night, she would. She’d probably make their bed for them on a busy morning, too, just because she loved them. Even though they could and should do it themselves.
And I knew, too, that one day, I would be done raising my kids and I would long for those moments when I was able to do little things for them. I knew that my daughter would not grow up to be a stunted adult who couldn’t braid hair. I knew that, God willing, she would someday have daughters of her own and sit on their beds and brush and braid their hair and giggle about boys and remember when her Mommy had done the same for her. And I vowed to stop reading stupid infographics and allowing them to make me feel like I’m doing something wrong.
In this super-informed, super-aware, super-self-analyzing world we live in, it’s easy to doubt every move we make as mothers. When I had my first baby, I did not read blogs. There was no Pinterest. I did every thing based on instinct. Years later, I started to read parenting books and I learned phrases like “Attachment parenting” and thought, “Oh that’s what I was doing!” It was pretty interesting to learn there was a whole movement involved with how I’d raised my babies. But when I was in the thick of it? I had no idea.
Sometimes I think we need to go back to those days. I’m all for learning and bettering ourselves, and arming ourselves with information. I’m a homeschool mom! I write a blog! But I also want to remember to parent by instinct. The basis of my decisions should not come from articles or infographics, or what the mom blogger I admire does. It should come from the instinct God put in me. To love my children. To find out what makes them tick. To meet their needs. To lead them to God. That’s the good stuff of motherhood.
All that other stuff? It’s just icing. Take it or leave it.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to subscribe to my quarterly newsletter!
Claire says
Thank you so much for this post! The quest for independence in our society goes too far sometimes. Certainly we should help our children to accomplish things and build their confidence as they become more independent, but there is also something to be said for nurturing. It’s all about balance.
Homegrown Mom says
I agree!
Lori H. says
I agree completely with having a balance. I reposted the independence post on FB, but my perspective on it was taken differently than how you perceived it. Those teachable moments or sharing times you get with your children while possibly doing something they already know how to do are priceless moments. It is all about your parental instinct and balancing those moments with things that build them up to do things independently. Great blog.
Angela says
Thanks, Lori 🙂
Jill says
I agree also….and now I don’t feel so bad for spending time with my 16 yr old doing her nails or helping her with makeup…just because sometimes I like to…because I love her.
another mommy says
🙂
Useless can't braid says
So now… I’m a stunted adult
Me neither says
Lmao
Angela says
Oops, sorry about that! I wasn’t thinking when I said that, because that would include at least half or more of the world’s population, right? 😉 I should have said it another way.
Linda says
This is a great post, Angela. Sometimes, doing for our children is not about spoiling them but tying heart strings, serving, and relationship.
Homegrown Mom says
Exactly! Thank you 🙂
Michelle says
Sniff, sniff. :’-) Awesome post!
Homegrown Mom says
Thanks, Michelle!
April says
Tears! This is exactly where I’ve been living for the past six months! Thank you for saying it so well!
Homegrown Mom says
Thank you 🙂
Shelli Littleton says
Lovely! I’ve been feeling so guilty of the same … if I keep doing things for them, they’ll never learn to do it themselves. But … it’s special time. Thank you for this sweet reminder. Blessed by you, shelli
Solei says
Good job mom:)
Homegrown Mom says
Just saw this comment! 🙂 xoxo Thank you!
Regina says
So lovely. I just stumbled onto your blog via a pinterest link about organizing your homeschool room. I found this to be far more insightful and soothing to my heart than what I came looking for.
Jessica says
This is so lovely & well said as I sit here holding my almost six month old while she sleeps. I am taking this to heart to implement as a first time mom. And the comment that says “doing for our children is not about spoiling them, but tying heart strings, serving & loving them” is about to get wrote on my dry erase board to read daily because I like it so well!
Ps: The other time I’ve commented on your blog was a few years ago, telling you I was struggling with infertility. Which you replied that you had prayed for me. Look what God has done now!? I have a happy baby girl.
Angela says
Jessica, that is beautiful 🙂 Congrats on your little blessing! God is so good!
N. K. Dover says
I say….that the time when you are brushing her hair may be the thing that steadies her world. When everything is changing and things are hard and life seems overwhelming; or when the really nice girl that she played with last year is suddenly snubbing her ……the thing that ties her to the self who is loved and cherished and gives her the courage to hold her head up, may well be that time spent with you brushing her hair and sharing life with her. This says to her…”my Mom likes spending time with me”, and “I’m a worthwhile person”, and “home is where I’m someone special no matter what anyone else thinks, or says or does’ , and family does things for one another because they are family, family shows the love of Jesus to one another.
Angela says
Exactly 🙂 Love this!
Denny Bonavita says
This woman is right and wrong. She is right in that she should brush her daughter’s hair. She is wrong in that she is not doing it FOR her daughter; she is doing it WITH her daughter, and that’s the point. Don’t make her bed FOR her. Either have her make it herself, or make it WITH her, speeding it up if she is busy. We need to spend time WITH our children, but not make them “I’m entitled” by doing things FOR them when it is time they should do those things themselves. This isn’t about hair. It is about being a parent.
Angela says
I get what you’re saying Denny. Have you ever had a little girl with long, very thick hair? At the time I wrote this post, brushing it was very much a chore for my daughter. Something she did not enjoy doing and was a point of contention. So while I did brush her hair with her every night, I was also doing it for her. (She still had to do it in the mornings and afternoons, and she never wanted to.) She’s 12 now and I am glad for every second I’ve spent doing that.
I also have a daughter that’s married and out of the house, and I’m glad for all the times I did little things she was supposed to do “on her own,” even make her bed sometimes when she was rushed, or fold her laundry. She did not grow up entitled, she grew up to have a servant like heart and anticipate the needs of others. I think the point of this post that is resonating with parents is exactly this: It is okay, in my opinion, to make her bed for her on busy mornings. She won’t grow up entitled, she’ll grow up feeling loved and be able to share that love with others. Hope that makes sense. We can agree to disagree 🙂
Marcia says
I love this post and agree with you entirely, as I would love to go back and brush my little girl’s hair again (she’s almost 27 years old now and quite independent). But here’s the other side of the coin. I was raised by my grandparents in the 50’s & 60’s, my parents were incapacitated by health and mental illness and I loved living with my grandparents. My grandmother curled my hair every night and brushed it out every morning before the school bus came. But, she died when I was just 10 and I could not find a brush in the house except a flat men’s brush and being a shy child, didn’t know how to ask for help. I went a whole year not brushing my hair and looking like a wild child before someone realized I needed help. This was a fine lovely family, but in the midst of their grief they forgot the little ones.
JQ Suzanne says
Really love how your Grandma was able to say just the right thing. Nice post.
JQ Suzanne says
It was a different time…how difficult it must be to have lost all those people so b young. So sorry.
Staci @ 3 Plus a Bunny says
This is beautifully written and it gave me a new perspective. I am big on teaching my 8yo to do things for herself and to contribute to the household chores, etc. But those special moments you describe in your post mean so much more. They are able making connections, building bonds, creating memories. Thank you for that.
I suddenly have the urge to wake my daughter up and brush her hair 🙂
Kimberly Berrier says
Thank you for writing this! Like you, I usually find articles that makes me feel like I’m doing everything wrong as a parent/wife. I still snuggle with my girls one is 6 and one is 11 and we still read night-night stories. I stopped reading to my oldest daughter for a little while because I felt like I wasn’t encouraging her to read independently as much but one night she came to me with tears in her eyes and said “I miss you Mama” and it broke my heart that I let an article make me feel guilty about my parenting enough that I went against my instinct and I lost time with my daughter when she needed me the most. It’s wasn’t just about reading, yes she really enjoys reading stories together, but she missed the talks afterwards where we would talk about our day and have giggles and sometimes if nobody can go to sleep yet, I will start a story and we will go around the room and she will add a part to the story and then her little sister will add a part. Those are the really fun times. 🙂 Again, thank you for writing this beautiful article and making me feel like I am a great mom.
Tabitha says
Hello my name is Tabitha. First time reader of his post and new subscriber. Mother of two amazing boys ages 3 and 3 months. I would like to say I absolutely love this post. It’s amazing. And so true. You have to cherish every moment in your child’s life.. Before you know it there grown and you’ll look back on those moments and wish you could have and would have done more… So I absolutely love this post 1000% it’s so awesome… Cherish every moment. Little moments like feeding your baby and teaching them to walk and tying their shoes and teaching them right from wrong, those will become memories to the future of the past… And memories last forever!!!
Sorry I’m rambling I just really liek this post alot!!! I will DEFINITELY CONTINUE to follow your posts and your Facebook page!!!
Linda says
Totally agree!!
Lura says
This is such an uplifting reminder. I still get embarrassed sometimes when telling people I lay with my daughter, 6, every night until she falls asleep. We talk, laugh, have tickle fights, learn from and about each other, read, etc… They are some of the most special moments I’ve ever had and I won’t give them up. Some people think I should put her to sleep and leave the room but I would miss these incredible bonding moments. No more feeling embarrassed or letting others ruin what I feel in my heart! <3 thank you for this!!
Connie says
Don’t be embarrassed! My 14 year old asks me to lay down with her once in a while and I am happy to do so. Sometimes she will ask me to sing one of the lullabies from when she was younger. (We even have a Nancy Drew book from my childhood that we are reading together) These moments are getting fewer and far between so I take them when I can get them. My hope is that my daughter will cherish these moments enough to do them with her own children 🙂
Camie says
Love this post! I still read to my teenagers, still brush my 18-year old’s hair when she asks me to, still tuck in my 13-year old, still make breakfast for my college kids when they are home. Doing these things for my kids doesn’t mean they don’t know how to take care of themselves. In fact, I think most parents use these moments to teach by example. I think we need more encouraging posts like this one and less preaching posts.
Faye says
Thank you for this, it means so much to me right now.
Olivia says
Thank you for sharing this. I struggle with what I should do and what I should have them do because they can. Gives me things to think about and reconsider! Have a wonderful day.
william gentner says
Love is the key here. Sometimes love leads to allowing a child to do something for herself, no matter how much she wants us to do it. Loving intuition. Yet so many parents and teachers do things for children out of pride, fear or their own longing to be loved. When I can brush and braid my daughters hair unconditionally, then it is an act of love. When I do it out of a personal need, ( She”l not like me) then it is conditional and will stunt her will and capacity to love unconditionally.
Jen says
I loved this post. Thank you for writing it!! I love what you said at the end- we all know what our kiddos need and shouldn’t feel guilty about parenting the way God is calling us to!! Planning on sharing this with my mom’s group at church!!
Tabitha says
Personally I think there is a difference in something like brushing hair over a little bonding time before bed and brushing their teeth for them when they are able to do that themselves. The hair brushing is the only example you used. Does your daughter clear her own dishes at the dinner table? Pick out her own clothes and dress herself? Put away her clean laundry? Pick up her toys? I think THOSE are the things the Pinterest post you saw were referring too. My son is 7 – he is expected to clean up after himself at meals/snack time. He can put away a load of his clean laundry with a little instruction (we are working on it). He dresses himself. But I still read him a bedtime story. Could he read it himself? Sure he could – he’s a fabulous reader. But that’s our bonding/winding down time – me reading to him. When I look back on his childhood I
am going to be glad I read to
him for as long as he would let
me but I’m not going to say “Gosh I wish I hadnt made him start cleaning up after himself at 7” or “I really should’ve kept putting his laundry away until he was a teenager”.
Dracula says
What if your daughter should ever stop believing in God?
Peanuts & Thread says
I agree about the blogs. They’re good for ideas when you can’t think of any or. Bit of guidance when you feel you are stumbling on this parenting thing, but I do agree at the end it’s on instinct. I use instinct with each child. Each one ticks a bit different and it’s our job to figure them out everyday without causing friction between them. It’s always about balancing, today we do their laundry, tomorrow they get to do it themselves because we want them to be people who eventually will know how to do things themselves but let them enjoy having mom around too. Great article like always 🙂
Livvy says
I think it’s about finding a balance. There are still things you can do for/with your child, like brushing hair or helping tie shoelaces, or helping colour in when they invite you to. However, a child only becomes aware of their capabilities when they are allowed to discover them for themselves. My son loves to pull himself up on to his booster all by himself and he has a real sense of achievement when he does that, why would I swoop in and do it for him and deprive him of that accomplishment? Equally though, sometimes he’s feeling a bit sick or tired and he’ll ask me to give him a boost, I just follow his lead. The way I see it is that I am raising my son to be independent and to one day fly the nest and it’s my job to guide him to that day, but from time to time he still needs mummy to give him a bit of a hand.
Diana Auerhammer says
What you describe is sweet, loving moments that no one in their right mind would give up. Nor would any of us confuse this with what you probably saw on Pinterest – I guess. One of my disappointments is when I hear parents say they don’t read to their children any more because they can read on their own now. Yes. Some are missing the point. My mother read to us all through middle school. And we loved it. Nice article.
Jessica says
Thank you for sharing this. It is very beautiful! A great reminder to follow our hearts and to remember that they will grow up and life will never be the same after that. We only get one shot!
Andrea says
Let me start by saying you are a beautiful writer. And brushing and braiding your daughter’s hair while bonding is great! I have read the articles about not doing for your children things they can do for themselves. I don’t think they meant the bonding and talking things. I think they meant the life skills they would need. I have a five year old son. I no longer brush his teeth or dress him. I’m teaching him to be independent. But I still comb out his hair after a bath and pour his cereal in the morning while he snuggles my leg. I do these things out of love. But I do have friends with children older than him (some as old as 13) and they are still tying shoes and brushing teeth and packing heir child’s bookbag. These things we don’t need to do for them. You stated your daughter knows how to do her own hair. Then you’ve done your job and taught her. You have taught her independence. You choosing to chat and do her hair at night teaches her love and how to do for others even when you’re too tired to do for yourself. Great job mom.
Kathy says
This is so beautiful and spot on! I love doing things for my daughter and she loves it too. I give her some independence where she want it (she is 4) and I coddle her when she doesn’t. Time goes so fast! I want to take advantage of every loving moment!
Tawnya says
So this blog post keeps popping up on my Facebook news feed so I decided to come read it and I’m so glad I did! What a great post and I love your perspective… heck I’m going to keep brushing my daughters hair as long as she allows. 🙂
Alison says
Beautiful thoughts! I used to do my daughter’s hair every day (mostly because I wanted it all braided so that she wouldn’t come home with lice), but she’s 17 now and every now and then will still come and ask me to braid her hair. And you’re right. It’s such a great opportunity to talk and catch up and encourage and love her. It’s important to have teaching moments. It’s just as important to have those no-pressure connection moments!
Jilanne Hoffmann says
My 12-yr-old son’s hair is twice as long as mine, and I enjoy blow drying it. And I still tuck him in and wish him sweet dreams every night. In 6 years, he’ll be gone, and all I will have are those strands of hair in a hairbrush and a kazillion memories of the conversations we had while I was blow-drying his hair. Oh, and I’ll have a son who knows that his mom took the time to do this little thing for him when he didn’t want to do it himself. I imagine that in a year or so when the teen independence hormones kick in, he won’t want me to do this anymore. And that will be bittersweet.
Diggs says
This story concerns older children, but is nonetheless appropriate to the subject. I have five sisters. My two older sisters married right out of high school. Our family was poor, but our Mom, being an excellent seamstress, sewed them plain but pretty wedding dresses. In the years between their weddings, and my younger sister’s wedding, our mom passed away. My younger sister was very successful, and purchased a beautiful wedding dress for her wedding, spending several thousand dollars. My older sisters were ooh-ing and aww-ing about her dress, and remarked to her that they would have loved to have had a dress like that for their wedding. My younger sister said to them, “I’d pay twice what I paid for this dress to get married in a simple wedding dress sewed by Mom.” We all cried, and remembered that our Mom did things for us long after we needed to have them done for us. Those things were done with love, and we will never, ever forget them.
Andra Enache says
I am not a mother, but your post made me almost shed a tear, remembering about all the beautiful things my mum always did for me, even though I could make them by myself… Thank you!
Matthew says
I like this Article, I am always thinking to myself that I shouldn’t be doing this for kids, because they can do it themselves. I worry that by always doing the things for them it will hinder them later on in life. But I feel better now so thank you for this article.
Melissa says
Thank you for this post! And let me give you a bit of encouragement. Almost a year ago, I went through the most difficult time of my life. My husband and I lost our first child, our son Declan, when he was just 3-days-old. I thank God everyday for the amazing man that he put in my life; I would not have been able to make it through the last year without my husband. BUT, I would also not have been able to make it through without my Mama. My mother spent almost every night at our house for those first few weeks, and it became our nightly ritual for her to brush my hair and dry it for me after my shower. Was I able to do that myself? Yes! I was 31-years-old, a grown, married woman, but it was a comfort for me at a time when there were very few comforts. My point is, my mother still does things for me that I could do myself. This has not made me into a weak, dependent woman who can’t do things for myself. On the contrary, most people say that I am far too independent, and will not allow others to do enough for me. What this kind of relationship with my mother has taught me is that my mother will always be there for me. It has given us a connection and relationship that I never doubt, a love that I only began to understand when I had my son, and an ally who tells me that, NO MATTER WHAT, we can get through anything together. I pray that you and your daughter NEVER have to go through a situation anything like what my family has, but know that you are fostering a relationship with your daughter that goes far beyond just the here and now. May your heartaches be few and small, but know that your daughter will always know she has a mother who loves her, who she can trust and depend on unconditionally.
Michelle says
Doing these little things that strengthen the bond(s) with our child(ren) is wonderful. These are the moments they will remember and repeat with their own children. Cleaning up the messes of dishes or dirty clothes that they out of carelessness, or putting away the clothes that I already washed, dried, and folded? No – these are things they need to do for themselves; doing EVERYTHING for them is a disservice. Perhaps that was the point of the Pinterest photo – enjoy your special moments, but encourage their independence as well.
Livvy says
Well said. I can’t imagine picking up after your children can be considered bonding. My husband and his siblings had everything done for them, I mean EVERYTHING. The end result, unable to cope in the real world, struggle to be independent, mental health issues due to lack of self estee , failed relationships, it goes on. This meme doesn’t mean stop doing things with your children entirely, it just means that they should be doing things for themselves. It’d be doing them a great disservice by not allowing them to.
One Montessori teacher said to me, never do anything for your child that they ca do themselves, it’s just insulting.
kellie says
Love this. I carried my only child until he was about six, because he liked it, and because there wasn’t that cue of a littler sibling coming along displacong him, so he got to decide when he was too old. He’s 14 now and perfectly normal, and delights in the fact that he can now lift me. I would definitely still do hair if he were a girl. I don’t make his bed (nor do I make him do it) because really, why make a bed? I do make him pick up after himself because I want him to be a good roommate, boyfriend, and husband if he chooses to, but to me hairbrushing/braiding/carrying is more like affection, which you never outgrow the need for.
Susan Carraretto says
I love this post so very much and agree completely.
I remember seeing that same pin and letting myself feel badly because I “do too much” for my girls. They are 8 and 10 and getting too old too quickly for my liking.
I love treasuring every moment. And yes, I too still brush their hair for them.
Bárbara says
thank you so much for your article. i see now it’s from 2013 but somehow it was meant for me to read it today, when i am doubting my skills as a mom.
God bless you
Michaela says
I think there is a difference between spoiling your children loving them. Spending time with them shows you care. (that includes brushing their hair). doing their chores for them (cleaning their rooms, picking up after them, etc) once they’re starting to be old enough to understand these things, creates spoiled lazy kids that just want things done for them.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with this post, I’m just saying that there is a difference.
Etelka Koshemakin says
Nice post. I think the original idea: stop doing things for them that they can do themselves – is an incomplete advice. It’s more like let them do what they can do themselves, allow them to be a contributing member of the family, don’t do it INSTEAD of them on a habitual basis. This nice example of brushing her hair is not about doing something, she can do herself- it’s about finding or giving an opportunity to have some “mommy time” and real mom and daughter communication. That is not just nice, but I think it is vital in our rushing world. That’s what is missing from a lot of teens life.
Linda says
My mother did A LOT for my sister and me. She even made our beds. I tried to get her to let me, but she wanted to. My sister and I are not even close to lazy and spoiled. We are very productive and responsible adults. I owned my own home in my 20’s before I was married. We are both parents and wives. She is a nurse and I am a homeschooling mom. The example of love and service that my mom showed and still does show to us and others is our motivation for what we do.
Kimberlyaw says
I loved this article.
I have a 20 year old son that still lives at home and we have an amazing relationship.
I’m in no hurry for him to move out however, looking forward to seeing where his life leads him.
We work part time together, ride to work together and still have dinner most nights together.
At work he his very helpful, on our rides to and from work we talk, laugh and sing along to the music.
He very much has his own life and great friends. I find it sweet and amusing that when he goes out he will still come and ask me if it’s OK! Of course, I tell him or teasing him saying, “NO, you’re grounded!” His silly grin comes across his face and he says, “Whatever mom!”
When he gets home he will tell me about his night, which I’m always happy to hear about
I realize eventually, he will be moving out and on but while he is happy to share his life with me I will always be there to enjoy it and not want to miss a single minute of it.
Spend as much time with your child no matter their age, if they want you to be a part of it then indulge, while you still can.
Fran says
My oldest daughter, ho is just about five and a half now, has Soleil as her middle name. I still brush her hair, help her brush her teeth, help her dress . . . honestly, I still help her with anything she asks me to or needs me to. I do these things for her two little sisters and her autistic nine year old brother, also. For me, it is a matter of habit because my son does still need quite a bit more help than most boys his age. However, it is also about finding ways to spend time with them and show them ways to display affection and love for those they care about. Can they do it for themselves? Some of it, yes the older ones probably or certainly can and the little ones might be able to, within age appropriate levels. Will I stop doing it for them? Never, not unless they ask, and probably not really even then although I may need to find new ways to do things for them as they grow older.
PATRICIA TOLER says
What wise and beautiful advice! I read a FB post by a niece who has two little ones today. I read your post and it brought me to tears.At 66, I have accumulated many memories of my own. Wisdom like yours is so wonderful. You are right, the results are so worth it! I have two grown kids of my own and couldn’t be any more proud of them today! Keep sharing because you will assist many in our uncertain world!
Colleen says
I just came across this post on Facebook and I have to say you made me teary. I too am a self doubting parent. I didn’t have much of a childhood so I mostly parent by instinct and feel that most of the time I’m probably doing it wrong. Thank you for reminding me it’s ok to do what feels right to me and what works for my family. I may do more than I should for my girls but we love every minute we have together so I must be doing something right! 🙂
Carrie larsen says
I have an 18-year-old daughter that brings me her brush every day out of the shower. It’s not that she can’t brush her hair, it’s just that she likes me to do it. She will graduate in May and go on to college. I’m not worried about her in the least. She knows how to take care of herself. But I will sure miss brushing her wet hair every morning. Maybe she’ll let me when she comes home to visit.
I’m also guilty of making her bed, folding laundry and making a sandwich for her before she leaves. I don’t think she’ll feel entitled to have a roommate do that for her, but I hope she thinks of me and my love for her as she does these things for herself.
Ashley says
I can’t even express how much I love this.
Jean says
Lovely post. We have our children for too short a time. I say enjoy every moment of connection you can get. My (almost) nine year old still loves to be babied and cared for, in certain contexts, and I greedily soak up every minute.