Old 06-23-2010, 04:37 AM
  #21  
clem55
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Lexington,Kentucky
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Originally Posted by watterstide
Originally Posted by Janetlmt
My son is 30 and lives about 5 miles away. He calls me every single day. My daughter lives about 25 miles away is married and has a child..she calls every day. I see them both a lot. I was a very protective parent with them. I knew they had to go out into the world and be themselves. Each had jobs at 15 and they both saved and bought a car. I actually had no problem with them moving on. Both of them have grown into fine adults. Our son is going into business for himself..our daughter is a nurse. As parents we all go thru their growing pains..we just need to guide them and let them make their own choices.
congrats Janet!
Mine are all grown and gone too..the oldest loves me more now than she ever did.she hated me all through her teen years, i was to strict.she is 33,expecting her 2nd baby. I think it is because she is a mom,she is a teacher with a masters. growing up opens thier eyes.she lives local.
My middle child is also a girl..she is 31, single,no kids.she is my "wanderer". she has always been indepentent. she has lived in Chicago,New York,and now florida. she has no problem picking up and moving on. she is happy and content. she calls almost every day.
My baby boy is going to be 29 this year. he loves his mom, always has been close to me. he is my tenderhearted child. he is in the service and says it is the best thing he ever did. he lives in texas with his wife and 2 kids.
I miss them, but they are living thier own lives,just like i raised them. i think with my husband and God, we did pretty darn good.
we were not without troubles, or friction. but they always came back to "home". sometimes it tested our patience..but they came back to what they were taught.
we helped them,only when they were helping themselves. they had jobs, saved for used cars..if they worked, we helped them with thier insurance, we paid half..so long as they were working and taking care of business.
when they were growing up, we never just gave them things..they earned them.they didn't have tv's in thier rooms,one computer in the main room.no dating until they were 16.no shopping mall time with thier friends,unless they had money to spend. no matter how old they got to be, my house ,my rules. curfews were fully enforced, it may not be right, but it was the way we did things.
i was married,then a single parent, then married again. the usual issues with all.
I am so proud of them all..and myself too!
Sounds pretty much thr way we did things. My kids are really great, we have a very close family, one dfaughter, three sons, and they all look out for the other. All live within 20 minutes of home, and I get drop ins about once a week, and phone calls all the time. My daughter works in the school system so she is off in the summer. She is here almost everyday, calls by 8:00 everyday, and usually after supper too. When she was a teen, we had such good times together, but I always told her, I'm Mom first, friend second. We still consider each other our best friend. The one thing that really amuses me now is our middle son. He has a daughter almost 21( two weeks away) and a 17 year old son. Boy, I thought we were strict, he is even more so!! The kids will say grandma, Dad this or that, was he treated that way? Once in awhile I call him on things that I think he is too strict about, but, he is doing a great job with them. I think the best advice is let them know how much you love them, teach them right from wrong, and if you do it right while they grow up, you won't ever lose them.
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