Today Marks a Different Kind of Freedom.
Dear Shane,
Yesterday you accomplished a wonderful thing: you passed your driving test. Yay! I am so proud of you, so happy for you, and so excited for this chapter in your life! You are a good and careful driver, and I know you will be as safe as possible out there.
And unlike many young people just starting out, you have a car ready and waiting all for you. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to drive yourself around! You can hop in and go wherever you want, and you don’t need anyone to go with you. It’s a well-deserved freedom that you have rightfully earned!
So this morning, I woke up and thought – as I do every day – what do I have to do today? And then I thought, Shane has to work at 2:00. I have to drive him to work and ….
And then I stopped.
Because I do not have to drive you to work. You can drive yourself to work. Which means I have absolutely nothing that I have to do today.
For me, today marks a different kind of freedom. I’ve been driving someone around for 20 years. But I don’t necessarily want this particular freedom. I mean, it’s nice to have nothing to do – but I really, really enjoyed driving you to work. I liked chatting with you on the way. I liked hearing about what you’re planning with your friends, how many followers your Tik Tok videos are getting, what new movies you want to see, what Starbucks drink you might try next.
I like hearing anything you have to say, actually.
So while I believe you deserve your freedom and you can drive yourself anywhere you want to go, I also want you to know that I am still here for you, if you ever need a chauffeur. Or if you just want to chat when you get home, and tell me about the things you’ve done and seen, I sure would like that.
I’m not suggesting that you should feel guilty for growing up, honestly. You have grown into a fine, responsible, mature young man, and I am terrifically proud of you! You should thoroughly and unabashedly enjoy your freedom and love this time in your life.
I’m just suggesting that once in awhile, if you want to stop by and say hello, I’d sure love to talk to you.
Love,
Mom
Shane is really a good guy. I’m not worried about him on the roads – which, of course, worries me. He’s out “for a drive” right now, his first ever. I want to cry. Thanks for the kind comments!
Oh, time has flown. But Shane has always been approximately the same – intelligent, rule-abiding, compassionate and with very high values. And as you can tell by the bike photo – lovable. If only more adults adopted his ways….