Today my almost 17 yr old daughter is going away on vacation for a week. Without her family. This is a momentous event and something she's been looking forward to for many months, I have, on the other hand, been dreading it.
She'll be on the Cape with her boyfriend's family and another family. There are 6 bedrooms and she'll be sharing one with her boyfriend's sister and her year old baby. I'm not worried about hanky panky. That worry has long since passed as they've been involved for over 2 years now. What I am worried about is that between her boyfriend and my daughter, they have the common sense of tree frogs. Nice kids, don't get into trouble (miraculously) and usually they just tend to hang out and watch movies and go eat junk food. But on the cape there is a LOT more to worry about, especially since her boyfriend has his boating license and a boat at his disposal. Plus she loves to water ski. That combination is giving me heart palpatations.
This is the first instance of really 'letting go' and letting her be on her own. It's not like camp or school. She has to make real decisions about real life experiences on her own and I am going to have to stay in the background and only hear about it all after the fact.
She's going to have a great time and I'm really happy that she's going, I think she's more than ready, She's had a great year this past year, and she's grown up and changed from a petulant shrill PMSed person to a really lovely young woman. I could not be prouder of her if I tried, She's fun to be around, she's honed a great sense of humor, she's become at long last an adventerous eater, and she's created her own style, I trust her. I really admire her.
But I'm going to miss her.
If they've managed to avoid a pregnancy for the past two years, perhaps they have somewhat more sense than tree frogs. That's what I'd be telling myself, anyway!
Posted by: Ilona | July 20, 2009 at 10:39 AM
Yes, she'll be away from you and teachers, and other people who direct her actions in the normal course of things. However, she IS with her boyfriend's family who have adults to keep a least a casual eye on them.
Ali
Posted by: Ali T | July 21, 2009 at 09:27 AM
Wow, big milestone.
It's good when they leave, not only cuz we miss them, but they miss us.
Posted by: Maureen at IslandRoar | July 22, 2009 at 03:42 PM