Letting Go

My kids are about to embark on a grand adventure with my husband. And I’m going to let them go.

From the moment of birth, we are in a constant state of letting go of our children. But, sometimes it seems like we have the hardest time letting go and trusting our kids into the hands of their own daddies!  Sometimes our husbands’ ideas of childcare leans more toward Fear Factor or Survivor than SuperNanny and suddenly “our children” becomes “my child.” 

Have you ever heard yourself say these words?  “How could you take MY child into the woods for two hours without telling me or leaving me a note?!”

“How could you let MY child eat pizza, chips and garbage all week-end, not take a bath and glaze out in front of the TV!?”

But, I want to challenge this notion. Unless your husband is abusive to you and your kids (in which case, why the heck are you still there!?), chill out Mom!  Let go.  Remember, even though Dad’s parenting style may be different and even less nurturing than yours, he loves those kids just as much as you do. YES HE DOES!  God created a family to have a Mom AND a Dad for a very important reason. Our kids need the nurturing they get from Mom, and they need the adventure and sense of self-worth they receive from Dad. So, let go. Let them have some fun. They’ll survive.  They will! God is in control even if it seems like Dad is not!

So, today I’ll kiss my husband and my babies good-bye as they embark on an eight day trip into the Boundary Waters.  Even knowing that last year, my baby almost drowned.  But, guess what?  His daddy was watching over him carefully, loves him soooo very much, and was instantly there to rescue him and bring him to safety.  God is in control and Dad is large and in charge. 

Have fun kids!