"Mom, I Was Worried About You"by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger 25 Oct 2007 03:34 PM In most cases, my kids could pretty much set their watches by me. While my personality is definitely spontaneous and I am willing to take risks and try new things, family life has also made me a rather reliable and loyal sort. I make plans, leave notes, and have tried to set an example for my kids of basic respect of time and commitments. The downside to all this responsibility is that when I do shake things up a bit and change my schedule-my kids get a bit worried! It is an interesting flip of karma for me since my kids do NOT think that they need to be attentive to their curfews. Perhaps because I have been so stable and reliable, it has given them the feeling that they can be a little flakier-after all, Mom will always be there to take care of things. But, when Mom meets a friend after work, or makes a last-minute change, my kids aren't always sure what to do with themselves. The other day a friend called and asked me if I'd be up for meeting after work for dinner and conversation-Sure! I knew that only one of my kids was activity-less that night, and at nearly 17, she would be fine if I wasn't home one night to greet her. So, I called and left a telephone message letting her know where I was going, what time, and when I would be home. When I got home (right when I predicted I would), she met me in the kitchen saying, "Mom, I was worried about you!" "Didn't you get my phone message?" I asked. Well, of course she had, but she confessed that in the 5 minutes it took her to find the phone message (she'd looked in the spot where we leave our written messages) she'd had quite a fright worrying at what might have happened to me. Good grief, I thought, but then realized that perhaps it could be an empathetic opportunity for her. "I know just how you felt," I answered, "that's how I feel when you don't come home on time or I'm expecting you and you don't show." But I can't help but wonder if the tides are starting to shift-just when I am preparing to launch my kids and trying NOT to worry so much about them-are they going to start worrying about me now? Also: "It's None of Your Business!" Letting Them Really BE Teenagers Will They Ever Be Responsible Enough for My Taste? Learn more about Kori Rodley Irons  Bio has been removed by administrator Relevantparenting tags User Comments No comments on this article yet. Be the first to comment! Community Tags Care, concern, safety, Worry Discuss this article
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