Neurotic mother checking in
 

:holysheep: I am waiting to hear from my 16 year old daughter that she has been picked up at LaGuardia Airport (LGA). She is there for a leadership conference. Her flight was late.

We just took my son (18) to the airport Friday - he went to Mexico.

I have been doing a shop till you drop to get these kids ready for thier trips. One gets back on the 22nd and the other on the 25 then on the 29th they both fly out to California.

I don't even want to think about the day my daughter travels away from home. I still get nervous when she is waiting for the bus, and I'm inside the house watching from the window.

I hope you hear from your daughter soon!

I understand...and I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it never gets easier. Mine are 37 and 39 and I still have some sleepless nights.

So, I can empathize but have no advice for you.

Sounds like you have some great kids tho.

Sassy's right....it doesn't get easier. For me, it got more difficult. As a Mom you'll never stop worrying - whether they are 3 or 33.

Now that Matt is living at home (at least for now) I don't really relax until I hear his police cruiser pull into the driveway (at midnight....ughh).

And Kevin is getting ready to go out of town for four days. :(

I know they're grown and I have to let them venture out so I don't call to check up on them unless they are noticeably late and haven't called me. It's hard but we have to trust them at some point....or at least act like we do!! :o

I hope your kids have fun on their adventures. It must be so much fun to travel.

I know it doesn't get easier but I have a 16 year old sitting at baggage claim by herself.

I have been talking to her and SHE is telling ME to calm down - I thought it's supposed to be the other way around :rolleyes:

She sounds like she's not stressing about the situation - which is good.

At least she's not calling you freaking out and you're trying to calm her down over a cell phone!! Now that would be nerve wracking.

She sounds like a very mature 16 year old. You've taught her well...and she's showing you now! :)

:hug: :hug:

As much as my kids are driving me batty during the summer.. I'm glad they are all with me *lol* so I don't worry and I can keep an eye on the little boogers. I found a website that has movies they can watch.. even though I think they are copied from Japan or something. They have been watching Kung Fu Panda (with Japanese/Chinese subtitles) all day long :) My ex doesn't understand why I worry so much.. but its a mom thing!!

Snoopy, hope your daughter has been picked up by now and is safe and sound :)

My 16 year olds say "Mom, we're not 5".

To me they are.

Sorry Snoopy, I haven't read through all the posts. Was this one of the Congressional Student Leadership Conference programs? I know they are having them in several cities as well as abroad. DD16 was invited to attend but, well, the funding just was there for her to go. She wanted to attend one in NY with Leadership University a second choice as they had some in CA which is far closer.

Where in MX did DS go? San Carlos is my favorite place. My avatar was taken while deep sea fishing. We are one of the boats that a friend of ours owns.

I hope both your kids have a wonderful trip.

EDIT: I agree that it doesn't get easier. When DD's are out and about I wait up for that 10:00 p.m. check in phone call. Both have flown by themselves and I sit and wait to hear from them - getting more anxious as time goes on until I hear from them. You will feel so much better. I am sure you have heard from them now and their safe and sound.

My DD has been picked up after 2 hours at baggage claim.

I am a little suprised this happened. My son went to 2 different LeadAmerica programs and we never had a problem.

Hopefully my daughter will get settled in and be able to enjoy the next 9 days. She is in New York for the Theater Arts program. There will be some workshops and seminars but also fun.

She will be going to Ellis Island, CBS morning show, Lincolin Center, and seeing some plays.

I just found out there are two conferences (programs) being held at the University my daughter is stay at which added to the confusion and delays.

[quote=tkrik;302596]. Was this one of the Congressional Student Leadership Conference programs? I know they are having them in several cities as well as abroad. DD16 was invited to attend but, well, the funding just was there for her to go. She wanted to attend one in NY with Leadership University a second choice as they had some in CA which is far closer.

Where in MX did DS go? San Carlos is my favorite place. My avatar was taken while deep sea fishing. We are one of the boats that a friend of ours owns.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _________

Yes, CSLC aka LeadAmerica. I like their programs.

My son will be in Chihuahua, Motgotabo, Areponapuchi and working at Copper Canyon. He went with his church youth group - this is a missionary trip.

[QUOTE=Snoopy;302623]That is so cool! You must be proud of both of them. Had DD16 gone, she would be in NY now with your DD doing the same program. I sent you a PM.

[QUOTE=Snoopy;302623]If she's at the NYU one, she might be taught by my niece! Holy cow! Wouldn't that be a hoot!

[quote=AfterMyNap;302647]
The Theater Arts my DD is at is held at Fordham University, they are also holding the medical conference at Fordham. All LeadAmerica programs are taught by LeadAmerica but they do have guest speakers.and always have are tours geared towards that specific program. These courses also come with 1 college credit.

As tkrik said these programs are held all over even abroad.
.

Glad I'm seeing this late, LeeAnn, so I know your DD has been retrieved. It's always a worry for me and my kid's are 31 and 29. Everyone's right, a Mom's job is never done.

Your children are definitely making you proud. Good Job Mom!!

Thank you everyone for understanding a mother who was quite frazzled and might not have been clear in my writings.

Your all wonderful :hug:

I haven't been around alot, at least posting. This has been a very busy time. My son had 2 proms one Saturday then the following, then a graduation, then a wedding which he was best man and then shopping for the trips.

:D you've been around enough to now be a Senoir Member. :p


btw..lil'monkey is only 14. she had planned to go visit my daughter on the east coast this summer. lots of thinking, family talks and it was decided it wasn't a good idea at her age. it doesn't help that she is 6ft and doesn't look 14. :o

so :hug: i know you need it.

Four years ago when DD was only 14 or 15, we put her on a nonstop plane to NYC to visit her brother in college. She then stayed a few more days with DH's cousins.

When the visit was over, they dropped her off at JFK for her flight. (I thought they were going to go in with her. Because she had a stopover in the South (I forget where), a hurricane canceled all flights. She was at JFK, calling us in AZ for help.

At one point, she was landing at an airport and hanging out by herself at 3 AM.

I was a little concerned to put it mildly. Long story short, she got home safely.

She just graduated high school, 18 years old.

This year she leaves for London to visit relatives there for 3 weeks. We are looking into some sort of European phone where she can call us during the trip.

She learned a lot at the age of 14. I imagine England will be a trip worth her lifetime of memories. Wish I had been so adventuresome at her age.

:holysheep: Now I feel old :p

Curious, it's really hard to decide when the right time is to send our children on planes by themselves. My DD flew by herself to Calif. last year to see her Grandparents and aunt.

Thanks for the hugs, right back to ya :hug:

[QUOTE=AfterMyNap;302647][QUOTE=Snoopy;302655]What would be the odds of AMN's niece teaching our DDs? Now that would be something. LOL

Yes, they do have them all over. When we 1st go the invitation and letter with the certificate DD16 wanted to do one abroad. At $5,000 that wasn't even an option to consider. LOL.

I am glad to hear that it is a good program as should she be invited to attend next summer and we are able to swing it, I'll send her.

Oh Wow! That certainly would have been a life experience for her :eek:
I hope she enjoys London, what a wonderful experience full of memories to tell her children about.

On my DD return trip she is on her own. The shuttle will drop her off but that's it. I am hoping this will be a growing experience for her, at least it was for her brother.

so true. i traveled at a very young alone. never had a problem. my family used to tell me i had an old soul.

lil'monkey, well, she is lil'monkey. smiley. friendly. doesn't always pay attention to her surroundlings. her brain runs music and lyrics through it 24/7. i can see her staning there singing "leaving on a jet plane" and missing her flight. :wink:

she is very mature in business type of settings. she has worked in our business for 2 years. does a great job. hubby says she is totally gone when certain songs come on the radio. good things the members love to listen to her sing. :p

we are thinking next year. 1 more year to get used to being in her own body and working onthe other stuff.

LOL - Holy cow! Our daughters and AMNs niece :eek: I would call that a small world ;)

My DD wanted to do the one abroad....nope! I have to remind her - Seriously, we are not made of money and, nope! we don't have a money tree :p

I, like DM, am glad to get to this late....Whew!!!!
Tie them all to the bedpost, untill they're 35, I say..:D

Happy all is well, Darlin..:hug:

She sounds a little bit like my daughter :eek:

She has moments of "oh look, something shiney" and forgets what she was doing. Up until this last year she was immuture for her age but we have seen a big difference. She has a job and works 5 days a week.

She is still a work in progress but coming along quite nicely :)

Lil monkey might benefit from an extra year of maturing before going off on a plane by herself ;)

You are just too sweet :hug: Thank you!

How's our neurotic mom doing this morning? LOL j/k

I was thinking of you this morning and imaging how I am when DDs go to visit relatives; I miss them, worry about them, and yet know that they are experiencing things they wouldn't have if they were at home. Sending you some cyber:hug:'s.

What a relief to find out she was "claimed".

Now, she will be having lots of fun and have such a great experience to add to her resume and memories.

Hopefully, we won't have to be holding our breath when she comes home and when your DS flies to Mexico.

Like I said before, great kids you have there!

The neurotic mother is much calmer today....whew! Although taking a Klonopin last night helped :p

Sassy, DS is already in Mexico and has been for 4 days. With his trip no news is good news.

I don't expect to hear from DD but again no news is good news ;). Both her dad and I will be nervous when it's time for her to come home since she has never manuvered through an airport on her own before.

It's really quiet around here. I think I need to turn up the music, call a few friends and break out the liqour :partytime2::Dancing-Chilli:

Oh, yeah, but first I need to go buy some crickets to feed to the Tarantula....eeeewww.

I have one very bright and mature daughter, who's traveled a lot, but couldn't find her way out of a wet paper bag. :eek:

My youngest is a complete airhead, but you could throw her in the middle of New York and she'd find her way home. The only problem is that she might follow a stray animal instead . . .

I know how scary it is to let them go, and I still wouldn't let my eldest go on her own to some places. My kids are NOT particulary street-wise, especially with some of the things that can happen in neighboring suburbs, or in some of the large US cities. My daughter and her two friends wanted to make a trip to the Florida Keys this summer (one friend's parents have a second house there), but I stopped that. They haven't a clue about what to watch for, avoiding bad areas, etc.

I have traveled a lot, but would NEVER go to LA, Atlanta, or some other places on my own. That's scary stuff!! :eek:, but mostly only because I am too trusting.

Glad she's safe and sound.

Cherie

Cherie,

LMAO - :holysheep: Since your description also fits my DD do I go back to worrying again :rolleyes: :eek:

nice people, REAL nice. :rolleyes:

lil'monkey gets a call last night from her bestie that moved down to the houston area a few years ago. they call and wrote weekly. she got invited to her friends quincenero (sp). we said she could go.

one of the aunts who still lives here will pick lil'monkey up 5am saturday and come back monday night.

guess i had better set the ground rules.

no potty breaks if they have anything shiney or glittery in the windows. she is not to wear her headphones unless with an adult. boys are to stay 50 paces away.

anything to add to the list?

Curious, your welcome to join the neurotic mom club - LMAO ( I even have tears runing down my face from laughing. Sorry I can't help myself :p

Ummm....was that helpful?

hubby says i am over protective.

well..yup...protecting her from boys who were like him!!! :eek:

It's strange. My 19 year old just went to Michigan for a camping trip and I was OK with that. But now that he has to drive through downtown Chicago for an art museum tour I am worried. I know how those people drive down there. lol

BTW, he's the one that jumps before thinking where he'll land. :eek:

My children have always complained I am over protective. I don't see it that way. As the parent I feel their dad and I have the responsibility to protect them.

Some things our children need to learn by experiencing and making mistakes. We try to balance protecting with allowing them to experience. It's hard to find that balance.

My son is very level headed with a maturity beyond his years. My daughter *sigh* scares me. Many times she will act or react before considering the consequences of those actions. We are working on that.

My DD got a 1 day suspension this last school year because she and some other kids decided to "moon" each other. This is a girl who wears baggy clothes because she doesn't like to show off her body....go figure.

I love my daughter dearly but the girl can keep you on your toes. Her brother just shakes his head and wonders what was she thinking :rolleyes:

Lil monkey will be okay :hug:

Boys are bad and full of germs. LOL (My brother tried that tactic with his DD as well as mine. DD16 is his goddaughter and he is very protective of her. LOL).

Dress conservatively, yet age appropriate (Nothing above mid-thigh, no strapless or spaghetti straps, no make up, don't do your hair, no super low rise pants that shows any pubic hair, etc. LOL) Seriously though dressing on the conservative side yet age appropriate is important. Actually, DDs had a guest speaker at their youth group once. This person talked about how boys really don't want girls who dress provocatively as their girlfriends. This stuck with DDs and they dress appropriately. Occasionally DD 18 will test the limits (low cut shirts or too short jean skirt) but a quick reminder of what men would or could be thinking when they see her like that, she changes.

Walk like you mean business and keep your head up.

Snoopy,
I'm glad your daughter was picked up and all is well!! My 14 yo DS is traveling to Fiji, New Zealand and Australia next week with People to People Student Ambassadors and I'm about to go nuts just thinking about it because now it's so soon.:eek:

Sounds like your daughter will have a blast and be exposed to some neat educational things.

Kathy

Kathy,

That is sooo cool! I know, it doesn't feel cool right now :hug:What a great experience your DS will have.

I would be interested to know what your son thought of his time with People to People. Please let us know.

My DD was invited to join People to People 2 years ago but since my DS had already been to a LeadAmerica program we preferred to send our DD to LeadAmerica when we felt she was ready.

To everyone:

My DD called me today just to say hi! She sounded so happy. She was in the Hard Rock Cafe :rolleyes: (they were in groups doing their own thing) and then regrouping with the rest so they could go to The Phantom of the Opera.

She told me it felt surreal to her. She said she hasn't gotten used to all the horn honking and probably never would...LOL

Her dad and I are a litle concerned: there are a few times she will be responsible for buying her own meals (we sent money with her) but she wanted to get a hoodie from the Hard Rock Cafe. I reminded her she needed to budget and watch her money.

DD said she hadn't even spent any yet - Hello! This was the first full day there *sigh*

Oh well, this could be one of those life lessons she will learn from. We know she will get 2 meals through LeadAmerica and some days 3.

Snoopy, thanks for the update. I am glad DD is having such a great time.

I had to laugh though as DD18 sounds just like your DD. She would blow her money on silly things and then whine and complain because she didn't have money to get something to eat. I could picture it clearly in my head. LOL. DD16 is such a tight wad with money that I know she would be just fine. However, DD16 would help your DD out if she ran out of money. She would buy her something to eat.

Speaking of Neurotic Worried Mom Syndrome (NWMS) . . . My name is Tricia and I have NWMS. Curfew at my house is midnight with a check in call at 10 p.m. I generally go to bed between 9 and 10. I always leave the living room light on for DDs and they turn it off when they go to bed.

DD18 called me one night around midnight to say she was going to be a little late and that she was about 10 minutes away. After DD18 called I went back to sleep. I woke up around 5 a.m. and the living room light was still on!:eek: My heart dropped and started pounding, the adrenaline started pumping as I got up to go in to the living room. No sign of DD18's purse or keys. :(

Using La Maze breathing, I walked, actually I barged in to her bedroom to see if she was there and sure enough she was cuddled up in bed, purse on the floor next to her bed, and her keys on the night stand next to her bed. Phew! Double Phew!

She has done this to me twice! After the 2nd time, I explained to her what I went through (the worry, the panic, etc.) when I wake up like that and the light is still on. It hasn't happened since.:)