We’ve got to follow our Big Kids’ leads, Midlifers.
I mean not when they’re Little and don’t want to eat their vegetables or brush their teeth and when they want to be a dinosaur when they grow up.
And not when they’re Big and want to eat a whole bag of Cheetos and when they want to be an influencer and still not brush their teeth, either.
I mean when they outgrow the cute little curls when they’re Little and the beautiful braids when they’re Big because they’re growing into exactly who they are meant to be.
Gulp.
When they tell you they don’t want to go to college.
And then absolutely thrive at work.
When they tell you that they want BANGS in their life.
And despite your warnings, they look like a movie star.
When they tell you their passion is fill-in-the-blank.
And when it’s most definitely not yours.
Big gulp.
Friends, we’ve got to follow our Big Kids’ leads. Let them step into their own lives within the safety of our own.
And sometimes – as long as they’re safe and healthy – shut our flapping lips and open our ear holes wide.
Very few things are permanent (not even bangs), but I know I want the relationship I share with my Big Kids to be a lasting thing.
So my door is open wide to my Big Kid, whose passion I’m learning to love, and to the Big Kid who cut her own bangs, and I even made a big deal for the appointment we made where she chopped off TEN full inches of that glorious hair.
As weird as it sometimes is with Big Kids and all the Big Feelings that come with the territory, I really do believe our Big Kids are growing into exactly who they are meant to be.
And I know I sure plan to be on board to enjoy the ride.
Happy gulp. —By Whitney Westbrook, So Very Whitney
Whitney Westbrook writes about navigating midlife, mostly with grace. Because midlife is relentless and irreverent, and because we should all talk about it out loud more. Follow her for more misadventures and insights on all things midlife. https://www.facebook.com/SoVeryWhitney/
