Last Updated on March 21, 2018

I recently wrote a post for FamilyMatters Blog where I described things parents could do with their children while driving over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house.

These various time consumers and family bonding activities are something my family has long enjoyed doing as we travel to and fro. However, I have learned (as I know you have) that once we are in the car, that can be the easy part; it’s the preparing to get into the car that can be a drain and a crazy maker.

I must share, though, that upon our recent travels to Amp and Nan’s house over Thanksgiving, I experienced an interesting new happy; my teens are depending less and less on me to help provide for their packing needs — and I likey!

My daughter has been relatively independent regarding such things for a while. My 14-year-old son scurried all around the house finding this and that, and when I tried to make suggestions, he said, “I got this, Mom.” When I tried to point out a few items he might want to make sure and pack, he replied, “Hey, Mom, how many Thanksgivings have we done this? I know what to pack.”

Really? A MOMent of awe overtook me as I stood dumbfounded in the hallway. I paused and let those words twirl around and do a happy dance right there in my brain!

My impulse was to double check what he was doing and make sure he was doing it right. Then a new memory joined the happy dance transpiring in my brain.

Just the day before, a dear friend who has a 17-year-old son had told me that I needed to learn to back off of my son because he is growing toward manhood and doesn’t want to be told what to do and be made to feel like a little boy.

She was right, and God worked to give me direct evidence of that newfound knowledge through our interaction of getting ourselves out of town. Now, I could go the route of lamenting the fact that my little boy doesn’t need me anymore (oh, woe is me, yada, yada, yada). Nah — I’m a bit wiser than that.

I see it as a blessing, and it actually brings me a lot of joy.

Be encouraged, moms of younger ones. If you diligently train and teach, someday you, too, will hear those words of freedom: “I got this, Mom!”

For the record, when we were at my parents’ house and my son was walking around wearing one white sock and one black sock, I just giggled. There was a bit of satisfaction knowing he doesn’t quite have it all figured out just yet. Mom’s still got a job!

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