Am I too overprotective and....

[mari4him]

I don't think as parents, especially mothers, the worrying ever stops. It's almost as if it is built into our makeup somehow. I have a 19 year old son who still lives at home too. I worry about him still. Just because he turned 18 or 19 doesn't mean the worrying stops.

I just recently got married and relocated so we are in a new city, he is making new friends. Just last night he went out with 2 girls and they were going to a club. Of course, I worried. I don't know the city that well yet. Don't know these girls. You worry about the driving, what if there's an accident, etc. etc. We live in a world where a lot of bad things do happen unfortunately and therefore I think its only natural that we worry. I had my son give me as much information about the girl and where they were going as possible. Just in case. LOL. Of course he giggles at my worrying sometimes, but he's good about giving me the info and understanding it's my job to worry.

Heck, I am 38 years old and he see's my mother still worries about me. 2 summers ago I took a road trip to Ohio and my mom had me call her periodically throughout the drive. I called her as I crossed each state line, when we stopped to eat, when we stopped for the overnight stay and when we finally arrived. Same thing for the ride back home. On a regular bases, if my mom calls me and I don't pick up my cell phone during hours I normally would, she will call again and again, sometimes 3-4 times. Finally she'll leave me a message saying something like "just calling to talk, please call me, you know how I worry".

So see, don't think it ever really ends. From a parents perspective, it's almost natural. From a child's perspective, it shows you are loved and cared about.

[BioAdoptMom3]

Thank you sooooooooooooooooooooo much! I do feel better knowing I am not alone with all this concern. And yes, I do trust my kids, but what if a drunk driver runs into them going the wrong way on the interstate or something? That's the stuff that scares the living daylights out of me. And by the way, he just arrived home safely about ten minutes away, whewwwwwww and thank you God! To the PP who also added that it makes the kids feel loved and cared about, thank you. That makes me feel better too.

Again, thank you ALL!

Nancy

[yankeegirl313]

I think there will always be a "what if..." when it concerns our kids.
Glad to hear that he made it safe and sound.

[colleeng47]

Funny topic right now. My husband, myself and two teenagers moved from NJ to OK a few months ago. My 18 year old son is not happy here, so he wanted to go back to NJ for the summer to be with his girlfriend. We didn't want him driving himself, so my husband drove with him to NJ and then flew back. Now, my 16 year old daughter flew to NJ Saturday to stay with a friend for a week. We drove from OKC to Dallas for her flight so she wouldn't have to change planes. We think this is all too much to do for teenagers, but we do it anyway because it makes us feel better.

However, my 18 y/o son calls me on a regular basis, but when I left my daughter a message today, she calls me back and says (with that tone in her voice -- you know the one) "mom, do you have to call me every day?" "And can we keep the text messages down to less than 3 an hour?" BTW, I called her once -- left a message that she didn't return. Then she texted me to ask a favor, which I did and texted her back and asked how she was doing. That's it!

I really believe we parents are doing too much, and expecting too much from our kids. I think the cell phone has a LOT to do with it. If we're not in touch constantly, we start to imagine all sorts of things.

Oh well, they're both gone now, so I am promising myself I WILL NOT CALL THEM EVERY DAY! (yea, sure)