Just being a parent…

The teenager leaves in the morning, to attend Science Camp at the Teton Science School in Jackson, Wyoming...a 6 hour drive across the state (although with stops, it will take his bus 8.5 hours to reach the school).

That’s practically in Idaho!!!!

For purposes of this post, let’s just call the teenager what he really is…a 13 year old boy.

My boy...

My little boy...

My little boy...who has never been to sleep-away camp.

My little boy... who has never been away from home for more than 2 days at a time.

My little boy... from whom we have never been away for more than 2 days, and never so far away.

Well, there was the time he went to NYC with his Hebrew School.

But that was practically over night, and not so far away.

He doesn’t’ want to go.

I don’t want him to go.

Actually, I do. But I don’t.

I want him to go, but I worry.

I want him to have a good time.

But still I worry.

Will he be warm enough?

Will he dress warmly enough?

Will he wear all the layers we got him...the protective under garments, the wool socks, the snow pants?

We are talking about Wyoming, after all...and in January for goodness sakes!

But I think I have a right to worry.

I’m his mom and moms have this right.

But he doesn’t’ know any of this.

And I plan on keeping it that way.

At least until later...

Much, much later, when he’s a parent and HE understands that I wasn’t...a complete and total neurotic.

Not completely.

I was just being a parent...his parent.