Tomorrow my lovely 14 year old son will leave me for a whole week. His first trip abroad without us, skiing with the school in Italy.
The conversations I have had lately with him are inevitably one-sided as I fret constantly about how he will manage without me there to cajole and nag.
This week I have mostly been saying:
"Remember to change your pants every day."
"Don't mix up the dirty and clean clothes."
"Eat up all your food, you'll need your energy."
"Brush your teeth...properly"
"Get plenty of sleep"
"Look after your money: keep your wallet hidden"
"Don't spend all your euros on rubbish."
"Make sure you use plenty of sun block"
"Is your iPod charged?"
"Have you got your camera?"
"Text me every day"
"Don't just text back 'ok' if I text you."
"Listen to the teachers"
"Listen to the ski instructor"
"Don't mess about on the slopes"
"Don't take your helmet off"
"Make sure you keep warm"
To all of this I have mostly been receiving the following replies:
"Yeah"
"Whatever"
"I'll be okay"
"Stop fussing"
This is going to be a very long week and I will miss him so much. I'm sure he will manage fine. It's me I'm worried about....
Trish @ Mum's Gone To...
Of course you have been nagging, and of course you will be worried, it's what mums do. And when he is twenty he will remember your concerns with that knowledge and will love you for it.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry...he will be fine...and it will get easier with time..and you will be SO happy to see him when he comes back...cook his favourite food etc., and watching him grow into a man will be so bittersweet...when my 25yr old 6 footer visits us I still remember him as a 3 or 6 or 14 yr old and love how he has turned out...and we had the 'stop fussing I'll be fine' too...enjoy your week and focus on you again.
ReplyDeleteI remember sending my then 14y old son off to Spain and had similar conversations. When i had a missed phone call from the organiser during the trip my heart was in my mouth. however it was nothing really, just his braces had snapped after eating french bread. My daughter is about to do the same trip next month and I heard my self telling her to keep her money in her bra!?....
ReplyDeleteWorry it's a mother's middle name
OK< here's what will happen
ReplyDelete- he'll text you when he's back on home turf
- all his clothes will come back filthy and in one tangled mess
- you'll find out that he wore only one t-shirt for the whole week (including sleeping)
- he will leave his I-pod on the bus (hope not!)
- he'll have had a brilliant time!
Such great comments from mums who've been there before me!
ReplyDeleteUpdate so far - he has texted me every day (bless him), is loving the skiing, was very tired the first day, there's a disco tonight and some of the lads have been chatting up girls from the other schools! He has eaten "shit risotto" and "lovely lasagne"!
Trish