Absence Makes the Heart Less Worrisome

I figured out a very important thing about kids living outside the nest. When they aren’t nearby, you don’t worry about them as much. This is funny to me, as I would have thought it would be the complete opposite.

I learned this important lesson as Boog is home for the holidays. She had a bad day and wasn’t in the best of moods. She left rather abruptly one evening and then didn’t come home that night. And then she wasn’t answering her phone or responding to text messages the next morning. This went on until early afternoon.

She’s hurt, or kidnapped, or worse… I just know it!

Part of me was 100% sure that nothing was wrong, while simultaneously another part of me was 100% sure that something was seriously wrong. I didn’t know which part to listen to, so I decided to calmly panic. It was officially time to start worrying.

So, I called the non-emergency number to find out how I can see if she was involved in an accident or something. I felt like a crazy mom. They confirmed she was not in jail, and her car was not involved in any accidents or citations. I called a couple of hospitals, just to check. You would think that not finding her would be good news, but I found myself almost hoping that she had been hurt. At least I would know where she is.

Finally, she called me back. She was safe, just being careless… or more accurately, she was being carefree. And I was being too protective.

I realized that if she was back at college, she would probably be missing for several days before I even noticed, much less worried. I’m trying to let my oldest daughter grow up. I’m trying to treat her like an adult. But, in my heart, she will always be my baby girl, no matter how old she gets.

And really? None of this would have happened if she would have just answered her phone! So is it really my fault?