And she's off...

[carmen veranda]

My 17 year old is leaving for Paris for 18 days on the 4th!!! Oh, boy, I am excited for her, nervous, happy that I pulled it off-financially speaking, and SCARED TO BITS!!!!! How did my little baby get to 17 and wanting to go off the France? Crazy.

[calgal007]

Be prepared, Mama. I suffered crying jags for two solid weeks when ds left home at age 18. On one memorable occasion, I was in the grocery store and saw a package of "Veat" which he loves in stir-fry. I started to sob; you'd have thought the world was ending. I hope you handle it with more grace than I could manage.!

[granolamom]

Yes mamas... I know how you feel. When we took our son to college, loaded all his belonging in his room and left to go home..I cried all the way to the car and all the way home... and guess what?? he is only 45 minutes from our house.......

It is funny... my head and mind see him as this 6 foot three inch college student/ now daddy to his own son.. my heart sees him as that three foot, skinned knees, blond haired, blued eyed little angel!!!!!

Where did the time go??????

[carmen veranda]

Thanks for your responses. It is so amamzing to me that this person that I've know since before she breathed is this bright, funny, talented womyn who IS FLYING TO FRANCE in 2 days!!!!
But you know what?
We raised our children.
We survived and so did they, and maybe even we all thrivied. I so so proud of her and am truely in awe that she is who she is and brave enough to fly to FRANCE in 2 days!!!

[carmen veranda]

Thanks NM. It was nice to read your other post as well. Thanks for telling me of your excitement as you flew off to your new life in England at the tender age of 18. It is so fun to see her with her life spreading out in front of her. With her knowledge that she can see, be and do anything she wants to. That is something I have always wished for her. It is something I didn't know for myself until I was well into adulthood. I am proud that I helped foster this in her. That her life is whatever she wants it to be. So exciting and interesting.

[Valerie.Qc]

My DD is only 12 and she already have begin to gather her money in order to go to France for at least two weeks... She plan to go next year (she has this plan since she was 9) She would stay with friends but would be alone in the plane and the train... Two of her homeschooling friends did something like this last fall: they went for a month in Rome (14 and 12 years old).

Kids are amazing (I can relate to them... I wanted to go to France since I was 5 and only realized my dream at 32! Good for them if they can do it sooner!!!)

[Joyce in the mts.]

Carmen V....hugs to you!

My daughter was an exchange student in France, in her junior year of high school. She was there for a month, living with a family part of the time in the countryside, and part of the time in Paris. She loved it and I missed her. I wanted to project all the best vibes on her trip for safety, fun and smooth flight, but was scared silly, so was just about able to control myself and talk myself through that month.

We are very close, and she is so gorgeous, confident, capable and consistently more sensible than her friends, so I felt pretty secure about it. She called once or twice but was quite at home there. That was when she was 17.

Now she is 20! She has lots of great memories about that and an album and scrapbook all dedicated to that trip. I recommend that. I bought the scrapbook for her while she was gone, and gave it to her as a welcome home gift. She was thrilled.

NM...My youngest son is graduating in two weeks also...*sigh*...my last kid through high school. I know it is hard to believe all that time has passed. His 18th birthday was just a couple weeks ago. (hugs to you, NM, and I will think of you when I am at my son's graduation....nice to know that you are out there!)

When he was born, we were living by the river, which was wonderful. His was a homebirth and I just kept watching the river go by...no matter what, it kept on flowing, so it strengthened me to go with the flow and power of the contractions. His was the shortest, though most intense labor by far, of my three.

The lilacs were open and I had some to smell during contractions. Lilacs are my favorite. When I think of lilacs, I think of my son.

Anyhow...it was nice reminiscing with you all.

I wish all the youthful travelers lots of fun. They are very lucky to have moms like you all!

Joyce in the mts.

[carmen veranda]

She will land in New York in 2 hours and 32 minutes!!!!

[carmen veranda]

She's back...

It was so so cool. She did have a blast and learned so much and is cherishing every memory. She even came home with money!!! What a cool kid. She is now going to an acting convention in Florida for a week. I am so very broke and she is so very happy. I am so proud to be the mamma of this beautiful womon. Life is such an amazing adventure.....

Thanks for all the posts. You moms are so cool.