So yesterday on Facebook I posted a status and pic that could easily be seen as me full of  joy and happiness. That was true in that moment but pics don’t tell the story of the before and after. If I’m being completely honest the before was the complete opposite of joy and happiness and the after wasn’t much better.

Y’all, this season has been hard! I know I’ve said it a bunch of times before but it’s true. Having your nest begin to empty comes with all the feels!

They have minds of their own and are free to, encouraged to, and well, expected to use them…but when they don’t take my advice or direction…ouch! Its hard ya’ll! Remember those control issues I mentioned in a previous post. Yep, they still resurface every now and again.

Oh how I remember the days of the firsts…

The first steps, the first teeth, the first words, the first day of kindergarten, the first day of middle school, the first day of high school, the first day of Sr. Year.

It was the first day of Sr. Year when I really felt the shift from celebrating the firsts to grieving the LASTS!

The transition years of children crossing the bridge from kids to adults and leaving the nest. In my case, from boys to men! These years on the parenting timeline have by far been the toughest for me to navigate. Talk about a major fork in the road of life.