Faith, Love, and the Pursuit of Sanity is an online journal written by Holly. You can find the Faith, Love, and the Pursuit of Sanity archives here or access all of Blissfully Domestic’s online journals here.

I have recently begun cruising into uncharted parenting territory – that area that lies between childhood and early adulthood within which we parents are supposed to transition from telling our kids what to do and expecting them to listen to watching them make decisions for themselves. This is where we pray that what we have been teaching them all these years has taken root, grown, and will begin to bear fruit.

My oldest son, who will graduate from high school in a few short months, is leaning toward making a decision that will take him far from us, and most certainly put his life in danger at some point. He feels God is calling him to join the Marines. While I am ecstatic to know that he is seeking God’s will for his life, this mama would also like nothing more than to tie him up to keep him close and safe. I also want to say, “Are you sure God said ‘Marines’ and not that, perhaps, he wants you to work at a marina?”

This is the big show – the moment I’ve been rehearsing for all of these mothering years. I know that to react emotionally will make the decision-making process harder for him; but to react mechanically will not be fair to him either, because that would not be the mother he has grown up with. I have decided to react spiritually in my new role as the mother of an adult.

As much as I want to plead for my son to rethink this idea, I instead did something very out of character for me – I admitted to my son that his happiness and God’s will trumped my desires for him.

I now have a few months to get a grasp on the next step in this process: letting go.

Photo by midweekpost