I have always heard, “oh, the time goes by so fast!” when somebody is talking about your children that are younger than their children, “so appreciate it all you can.”

I used to be like, I get it. I know it goes by quickly. However, I really had no idea how fast it really does go by until the time really went by quickly.

I’ll be honest that when my children were small, ages 3 and 5, it felt like that time would last forever. I knew they would grow up, but at the time, I wasn’t thinking about it. I worried about whether I was raising them well, if I was a good parent, and if I was teaching them things they would need later. I wondered if they were making good friends and if they were at a healthy weight. It was a stressful time. Delightfully stressful I suppose.

Well, I understand now when people say time flies and we should cherish our kids when they’re young because they quickly grow up. I’m facing new worries now. I thought things would get better and my concerns would lessen, but they remain the same. Now they’re in the real world where I can’t protect them like I used to. I have different worries now.

My 18-year-old daughter recently got a few jobs but ended up getting fired from all of them for missing her shifts. I believe she underestimated the importance of showing up. She claims transportation was an issue, so she was given a truck. My new worries are oh my gosh, she’s going to get into an accident, or, what if it breaks down and her cell phone is dead, and other worries that go with an 18 year old that now drives.

When did she start driving, and how did that come about? She actually drove ME around one day, and I will say she is a good driver. With me at least.

Except she went to a concert by herself in her truck. This involved taking the freeway into the city, which I found out later. She mentioned she had tickets to what I thought was “Prince and the Veil,” but she corrected me; it’s “Pierce the Veil.” I still hadn’t heard of them, but they’re supposed to be a bit punk, which I don’t mind. However, her solo experience I kind of minded. She survived it though, and had an awesome time. Still….

I witnessed her first heartbreak, which deeply affected me. As a teenager, her world feels vast, yet it’s small compared to the rest of life. It’s tough to reassure her that everything will be fine; it might happen again, though I didn’t say that. Comforting her during this time was challenging. She cried for days. What can I do to help her? This is just life beginning to affect her.

She also told me when she gets another job now that she has transportation to not be surprised when she starts getting tattoos and more piercings. I’m o.k. with that. She could be getting into much worse things.

My son has always loved video games. He was so addicted that they were taken away for a while. This upset him, but he was spending too much time playing. He would stay in his room and play NBA2K or other basketball games all night.

He tried to get a job at a car wash but they told him he “doesn’t smile enough”. How dare them!!! Right??? I just told him he was shy, and that just wasn’t the job for him. I told him he was smart, and should maybe look into doing something with computers.

That leads him to want to join the military as a Navy Seal. I suggested he consider a different branch since the seals have a 6% chance of success. He mentioned wanting to do Special Ops, which I think is similar, so I feel he should reconsider. He’s athletic and strong, but I worry he may struggle with the rigorous training. I could be wrong, but I don’t want him to feel discouraged if it ends up being harder than expected. But, I guess that’s part of his learning process.

Now my worries are about if we are going to go to war, will he be injured, where will he be stationed…

I have to trust they will make good choices as our relationship progresses. I’m curious about the paths they will choose now that they’re starting strong. Life can be tough but also beautiful. I’ve realized that it’s strange to think back to my own youth and the obstacles and successes I’ve faced. I don’t know what the future holds, so I’ll just take it one day at a time. It took me a while to reach this mindset. But I’m trying.