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Show Parenting never stops -even for grownups j p.g. blab By MARCELLA WALKER I was talking to one of my neighbors recently and she men: tioned that one of her sons and his. wife did not get over to visit very often although they only live in; Orem. They go to school and work and it is busy for them. That would be hard for me. I am', the kind of parent who likes to see the married kids once in a while. Agreed it is hard if they live out of. the area, but still I like to see them. ... You don't just stop being, a parent when the kids get married and move , out of the home. I like to visit with them and see what is going on in their, lives and enjoy their ups and downs with them. coming weekend of ha ving our 'next to last child go away to school. Sabrina begins summer school at Weber State next week. It is going to be very hard to let her go. Ogden is 1 only 70 miles away but she is going ' to get buy and involved 'and won't want' to come; home too often. It is going to be hard..: Once they graduate from high school they begin to leave the nest and this old bird has a tough time "vvitfi that! ' .:' . ' When they are- youtig you' can.' hardly wait for them to get bigger so that they can tell you where it hurts or so that they can play without you '"' watching their every move to be sure they don't eat bugs and sand ; anddogpobs. ''' Then before you know it they are big and wanting to leave home and , you almost wish they were little I keep telling myself that I need to cut the apron strings and let them go and learn what life is like out there in the real world. College isn't really the real world but it is closer to it than living at home with a hovering mom and dad is. It brings back those rapturous days when I first decided I wanted to go to B YU and the scholarship really came. I was so excited I could hardly stand it. I always planned to go to USU after I finished my sophomore year at Weber. Instead I ended up going to BYU at the end of my freshman year at Weber. I didn't once think about my parents and how they must feel at having me just up and decide to go to BYU like that and leave the nest without much fair warning. The idea of living away from home for the first time (except for the yearly week at Girl Scout Camp which hardly counts) was very exciting to me. It must have been somewhat devastating to my mom. I left for BYU with a car full of clothes and pots and pans and sheets and Mom took me down. She probably had the same feelings as she drove away that I will have Saturday after leaving my daughter clear up there in Ogden. . One thing that having my children leave the homefront has taught me, is to want to spend more time with our mothers. Now, after all this time I realize what it must be like for them when we, their children, get so involved with our own lives that we don't visit as often as we should. We don' t bring the darling grandkids for 1 them to see nearly often enough. I'd like to see my granddaughters every day. I do get to see them q often. We will have a grandchild born in Salt Lake this fall and Sail ' Lake is far away. We hardly get up there because of our busy lives. Do you want to see the distance I shorten to Salt Lake from Pleasant Grove when that baby is born? 11 will, I guarantee it. As my little angel moves onto another great step in her life, even though it is away from home, 1 wish ( her the very best. I hope she gels crazy roommates like I did that give her some of the happiest memories of her life. I hope she studies W but takes advantage of those tours ( in the library to look over the cropoE cute boys. j I hope she becomes the best nurse this world has known and that she , shows compassion even after she has seen it all. ( I hope she remembers her mom and dad down in Pleasant Grovewho ., will be worrying and missing hen lot. I hope she takes with her all the teachings she has learned over lie years and that she knows howtosilt i through it all and grab on to the really good stuff.' I hope she is truly happy-1 toP1 she has the time of her life. I W si she gets good grades. I hope she ai smiles at everyone. a1 I hope she graduates. C I hope she remembers who her parents are and that they love lw rr very much. Good luck, Bean. qi again and you could watch them every minute tp be sure they are okay. ' You send a lovely daughter off to college with some trepidation, too. After all, who will her roommates be? When Grandma offers to let her stay with her until they find a place, you breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she will be safe with Grandma. Grandma has got to be next best to having her at home. Aunts and uncles and cousins are .around in Ogden so it is not like she will be terribly alone. She won't be. But there are still questions and worries running around in the mother's head anyway. |