Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Role Reversal
Approximately 17 years ago I held a 9lb.2oz. bundle of joy in my arms feeling very overwhelmed. Questions filled my head. Would I, could I, be a good mom? Will I be able to keep him safe? How will my son grow? Will he be kind? Capable? Happy? Oh, there was so much responsibility ahead of me.
Inevitably, those bundles of joy grow. I've witnessed his passage from forward to backward facing car seats. To a bigger car seat. Graduation from the car seat to the ever-protective seat belt. To finally being able to sit in the front. (Trust me, that was a huge milestone to our son's way of thinking.) Oh, and God bless the person who thought to put the rules for sitting in the front on car visors! This poundage/age requirement waylaid what probably would have been many arguments between him and his younger sister.
Between my husband and I, we'd see they arrived safely wherever they needed to go. So we drove them to school. Sports. Well visits. Music lessons. Family events. Of course, I drove them where I needed to go, too. The grocery store. The drug store. The mall! Oh yeah, the mall was my favorite destination! While driving, we'd sing songs, practice multiplication tables, or play 20 questions; whatever kept him and his sister occupied.
When he turned sixteen, he couldn't wait to get his permit. We logged many an hour with him in the driver's seat and myself as the passenger. I'd sit there wondering how it could even be possible that my baby was learning to drive! No way. He's not that old. (I'm not that old!)
This past weekend we all took the same vehicle to visit my parents, who live about 40 minutes away. This was not unusual except for one thing. My son was driving the family. With my husband on the passenger side, I was relegated to the back seat! As the driver, HE was in charge. HE had the responsibility of seeing that we arrived safely. HE controlled the station and volume of the music. The heat. That's when it hit me like a ton of bricks - ROLE REVERSAL.
He'd taken over my job! Now I just have to teach him how to make dinner and I will have my own personal cook and chauffeur.
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Good Luck with that...you will be left with dirty dishes and no car if life plays out for you the same as for most of us. Enjoy these last few years of witnessing his independence. In a year of two you will hear from him before holidays to schedule plans, or when he needs something, or when things are going SO WELL,,,maybe not, but that is my experience.
ReplyDeleteI love the way you wove the car into this slice - from carseat, to arguing about seats, to your son driving! They grow so quickly!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how fast the years fly by. You've done a good job preparing him for the responsibilities of driving. I'm sure you'll continue to see his growing independence. What a joy it is to watch them mature and fly on their own. You've made lots of progress since you brought home that bundle of joy from the hospital!
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