Stressed Mom!! Need prayers.
 

I've mentioned this before, my 14 yo son is heading out on an international 3 week trip to Fiji, Australia and New Zealand next Tuesday. Mom is freaking out that it is this close now. I know he's independent and responsible, but gosh that's a long way to have my baby half way across the world. I met a People to People group in the airport, told him about it and he wanted to apply. He did, did his recommendation letters, interviewed and got accepted. So all that said I feel like I was the one that led him down that path, even though I had to do NO convincing once we went to the inital presentation and he saw the details of the trip. He was hooked then.

I'm going to have to be strong taking him to the airport, I want him to have fun and not worry that Mom is upset, so it's going to be hard to not cry!! Please say a little prayer for me that I can handle this. This will be his first trip out of the country at all.

Just have to believe that God has a plan for him and no matter where he is or how much I worry, I'm not going to change that. I know it will be a great life experience for him, but getting through those three weeks are going to be agony for me. :eek: People to People seems to do a great job with organization and taking care of the kids, so say a little prayer for them that all will be well and he returns safely on July 12th.

Thanks for listening to me rant. :eek: I'm sure I'll have use some of the xanax I have for the next three weeks and will be glued to the tv for any news from that region.

Kathy your son is coming to a very safe part of the world. Australia and NZ don't see the political unrest that other countries do, and major crime is minimal...... probably much less than what he's been used to seeing on TV or reading about in his own home state.

I'm unable to comment on the political climate in Fiji at the moment, because I simply don't know, but because there's been nothing on our National TV news reports I have to assume that all is well.

Australia is very close to Fiji and a popular holiday destination for many thousands of Ozzies each year. If I hear about any problems on the horizon I can let you know if you wish.

I know that every mother worries when their children head to unknown countries, but rest assured he should be safe in this part of the world. Enjoy his postcards home, and don't forget to let us know about the fun he's having.

That would be great for any information Koala!! Are you in Australia?? He will do a home stay with a family in New Zealand for two days. Should be a wonderful experience for him, but a stressful time for me:o. I think in Australia, he's be in Sydney most of the time, but they do venture out of the city for some day trips to other areas. I know we have to 'give them their wings' and allow them to grow up at some time though... It's hard though. Will keep you posted.

Yep! I'm an Ozzie. DH and I lived in a beautiful seaside place just north of Sydney (Port MacQuarie) until just before Christmas, and then we moved (home) to Tasmania. If you're looking at a map of Australia then Tasmania is that little heart shaped island at the bottom of the main island. (see my Breast Cancer Support picture in my signature!) It's very beautiful here and there's so much to see.

Had he wanted to come to Tassie (as it's called) DH and I would have been more than happy to put him up for a few days so he could explore our island, but alas you've probably left it a bit late.

I'll PM you any changes in Fijian political climate if that's what you want, but you have no need for any concerns while he's in Australia or New Zealand.

Kathy,
 

I can't relate to a child leaving the country...but I can relate to being a mom who worries...EVERY TIME THEY JUST DRIVE TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE...:o It's in our blood!!!

However, I do believe God has a plan, and had it not been you making the first contact in the airport, it would have been another way. So rest easy. Just keep praying. (I know God hears us the first time and doesn't forget, but it makes US feel a whole lot better to give him reminders!):wink: I'm sure he doesn't mind.

Your son is so fortunate to have such great, supportive parents. It is the hardest things to let them spread their wings. I am remembering you in my thoughts and prayers. :hug: I wish the best for your son and your family.

I am a fellow MSer and I hope you are not having too many struggles with this. I know it changes our "mom" dynamics. I will be remembering you Tuesday! :)

Kathy, he will be okay. :hug:

No matter how independent and responsible our child are we will still worry, that's part of being a parent as is guilt ;)

Cry all you want but I know you'll be able to see him off at the airport and not shed a tear (until you get back to your car). Make sure you have tissue in your purse or pocket because you will probably need it on the way home (I did).

Kathy, I'm not a mom so my thoughts are for your lad. Think of yourself at that age and about how willing and able you were to try new things and seek adventures.

Above all, trust your investment in raising him, it's time to enjoy the dividends. :)

I hope he has a wonderful time, comes home with plenty of stories....and all your worries are behind you!!! Blessings to your family during this exciting time :D

hjmom, that sounds like such a wonderful opportunity for your son!

You have been given a lot of good advice by some very good people. Please try not to worry. We'll keep you both in our prayers! :hug:

Kathy,

Realize that every night when you look at the moon, he sees the same moon. And, the dirt that you walk on is the same dirt that he is walking on,..., it is just that he is a little farther down the block from you.

He will be fine and have great stories to tell when he gets back.

Aww Kathy....I know how you feel. I was the Mom who followed the school bus on the first day of school (just to make sure it got there OK...:o). Letting our kids grow up and away from us is hard. Your son sounds like a smart kid....I know he'll have a great time and it will be an experience he'll remember all his life. He's very fortunate to have this opportunity.

You wouldn't be "Mom" if you didn't worry and miss him....it's all normal. :hug:

What a wonderful opportunity for your son...I agree with Koala...these area's of the world are not as much of a concern, but any overseas venture brings risk. Prayers for a great time and that he comes home safely.

Yup Kathy~ As Mom's, we are gonna worry, but he's going to experience such a wonderful life lesson. I'm jealous, he's 14 and gets to see places that this 53 yo hasn't. He'll be home sooner than you know it.

Plus, he sounds like he's pretty responsible. He'll have a wonderful time.

you've given him some solid foundations.
and, he will have adults looking out for him.

i know this will be stressful but think of how much he will have to tell you when he gets home.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the support. I wrote him 3 cards this evening and put them in his suitcase with instructions to open on a certain date. He's excited and assures me he's going to be fine, but I've offered him the opportunity to change his mind several times, even though it would mean we wasted quite a bit of money :eek:. He assures me he really wants to go... and thinks I'm being dramatic, which I know I am. I have to quit doing that I know, but I needed the reassurance that he did still really want to go... It was more like I'm the child and he's the adult though, not good...

I will hold those tears until after I see him off :) I don't want him to be sad for us. I want him to have a great time. Tomorrow we do an inventory of his suitcase one more time to make sure he has everything and write a list of the contents for his carry on and try to make things a little smaller. It's really hard to pack for three weeks in one suitcase that has to weigh 44 lbs or less. He's having to bring small packs of laudry detergent because they will be doing some clothes washing.

We will have little contact with them during the three weeks. I got him a couple of international phone cards, but from what we were told they turn the phones off in their rooms and they have to wait in the hotel lobby in lines to make a phone call home. He's not one who I think will get homesick though, so I think he'll be ok. He told me "Mom, why would I get lonely, I have 33 people going with me??" quite seriously :D

Will keep you posted, it helps to share my anxiety with you!!

I can update you Kathy with what's going on in my country, NZ and Fiji, but I have to assure you once more that it would be extremely unlikely for anything bad to happen while he's here. We just don't have the crime, political unrest or other problems that the rest of the world endures.

There was nothing in our local news over the past few days about Fiji, but as Fiji is ruled and administered differently to other Commonwealth countries, I'll keep my eye out for any changes that you may want to know about.

Trust me, if I hear anything I will PM you straight away. I'm a mother too Kathy. My daughter went to Canada when she was 15 years old, and she stayed away for a whole year. I know what it's like. :eek:

I appreciate that Koala! Gosh, were you in Australia at the time when she was in Canada for a year? Was she an exchange student? That's admirable for you and she both to do that!!

He left today. Things went fine. I told him I was going to cry and he told me "Mom, you'd better not cry because I don't want to leave remembering you crying", so I was good and didn't cry. But I did shed a couple of tears walking back to my car. I think he'll be fine. He was excited and close to the front of the line to go through security, so he was ready.


Koala, he's going to stay for two days on a 'home stay' in New Zealand where they stay with local families. From what we were told they visit the school and they usually pair them up with a student around their age and they go to school with them for two days and spend two nights with them. That should be a neat experience for him. I think it'll be a wonderful experience for him. I'll just miss him since he won't be back until late July 12th..

I just heard from my son, Jared, Surprise Surprise for me ;) Usually he doesn't call home much. But he called when they arrived at LAX. They leave tonight at 11:30 to arrive in Fiji tomorrow morning at 5:30 AM Fiji time. He still sounded excited and it was good to hear from him. I'm hanging in there, doing well. :)

Thanks for letting us know!
Yes, she was an exchange student and I did have to stay at home, and 12 months away when she was 15 (turned 16 while she was there) wasn't easy for a mum. Especially the mother of an only child!

I'm sure your son will have the bestest time while he's over here my part of the world.

Nothing happening here at the moment for a mum to worry about, but will let you know if I hear anything. :)

Hi Kathy, it sounds like he is on his way! My teenager went to Germany for an exchange through Rotary Club. She came back with incredible stories and many new friends.

It is scary, but we would not let them go unless we trusted their judgement, and the folks who interviewed them did too.

This will be a wonderful memory for your child. I thought of it as a pre-empy nest test before college. It was an adjustment. You have the internet to keep in touch and international cell service only cost $3.99/month service fee from my carrier.

You may not need that for 3 weeks. Anyway, it is hard at first, and then they are back before you know it!

I really admire you letting your teenagers live in another country for a whole year :eek: But I know it's a wonderful experience for them too. That's why I let my son do this three week trip too. He does usually make good decisions, that helps me in knowing he's going to be ok.

We did hear from the group today. They made it to Fiji, after flying all night and they have a full day planned today. I'm sure they will be some kind of tired teenagers tonight. Hopefully they slept on the plane a little.

I appreciate you sharing your experiences and listening to me worry. :)

Another update -

After not hearing anything from him since Tuesday I called the hotel today. Asked for his room and got his roomate, who told me DS was in the shower but he'd get him for me. It was 6:00 AM Fiji time and DS didn't have too much to say. :( He answered my questions said he was having a good time, but when I asked him who he was rooming with he didn't want to tell me the names, just that there were two others. I think the other boys were in the room and it wasn't 'cool' for his mom to be calling him at 6:00 AM probably. :rolleyes: Oh, well, at least he seems fine.

On another note, I learned something new today - how to make an international phone call. I had to look up instructions on google :D

Kathy, I am glad everything is going good for your son and sorry I am late checking in with you.

My DD went to Spain (and another place but my cog-fog is so bad I can't remember where else they went - gosh that is so bad) She was gone for 2 weeks. I was a total wreck, this was the first time we had ever been apart more than 3 days!

I cried when I went back to the car to but it was a wonderful experience for her and me.

Keep us posted!

Making international calls is amazing. I learned so much from my child being abroad. It widened my world too.

It is hard to imagine we can hear them so clear. I bet it felt great to hear his voice.

Thanks everyone! It was great to hear his voice.

He's going to New Zealand tomorrow and they will be staying in 4 different places over 5 days there, one being a home stay, so I probably won't get to talk to him then. None of the places are larger hotels, one is a marae. Since he didn't offer much information to me though, I guess it's just as well :rolleyes: Mom will give him his space to enjoy his adventure. It's hard to let them go, but I guess we have to at some point. He's just too darned independent to be 14 years old. But as he'd tell me he'll be 15 at the end of July..

13 more days until he is home...;)

Another update.

He called tonight!!! I was one excited Mom! He was very upbeat saying the trip has been awesome! He said New Zealand is beautiful. He said New Zealand is more like the US than Fiji as far as technology. He said Fiji beaches were beautiful, but it seems like's he's enjoying New Zealand quite a bit. They are off to Syndney on July 7th and will arrive home late July 12th.

I asked if he washed his clothes and he did :eek: He said they were all clean, he washed them all yesterday. I was proud of him. :D

Thanks for listening, it's nice to share it with you. I've already called all my family to tell them he called. :)

Kathy, it's so nice he is keeping in touch with you and you know he is doing okay.

Washing his own clothes?! :eek: Isn't it amazing how our kids can do that stuff when we aren't doing it for them ;)

That's great news, Kathy! Isn't it so hard to let go and let them experience life? We just want to protect them from anything and everything out there....but the only way they will learn to be independent and productive is for us to let them go. It's sooooo hard - believe me, I know. I think your son is wonderful for calling you and putting your mind at ease.

And....I would have called the hotel, too, if I hadn't heard from him. It's just what Mom's do!! :)

Thanks everyone for all the support!

I received several e-mails from him today. It was wonderful to be able to e-mail him, ask questions and get answers back almost immediately. Technology is wonderful! He's staying with a New Zealand family now. He said they are very nice. They have a son that is a year younger than my son and a younger daughter. My son said "Mom, they even have a Playstation 2" - he's such a video game buff, I'm sure that made him feel like he was home. He said he went to church with them today and they were going to go skiing this afternoon. I got to ask him all the mom kind of questions like if he's kept up with his cash, to make sure he spends the New Zealand and Australian money he took, etc. , don't forget to give the host family the Louisiana items we sent, etc. :) But he seems to be handling everything fine without me telling him what to do - I guess I'm not needed. :( He said he's having a blast, New Zealand has been awesome and he's made lots of good friends. They fly to Australia on Monday and he will be back here next Saturday night!!! One more week for me to hang in there. :o I'm really glad that he got to do this, even though it was so so so hard for me!!!

Thanks for listening. ;)

They do grow up way too fast and it seems to be harder on us than it is on them. :) Your DD seems to have everything under control though. Sounds like she is very dependable since everyone counts on her to do the planning. I'm sure you are proud of her.

Oh goodness!!! They were lucky they were already at a station.:D The adventures of teenagers.

Hey Kathy~ Glad to see your DS is adjusting well. You must be so proud..

sorry missed this last week..glad he is doing good...

and hey that is such a wonderful thing for him to be doing....my daughter with out any of us knowing about that program..got a letter of invitation to go on one of those...but we cant afford to send her...even if raise money...dont think we could make enough.....

so hoping he is enjoying the great time..and exploring the world..hugsss mommy...he will be home soon....hugss,sarah

Hi Sarah,
Good to see you here!

The nominations can be done by anyone. They had each delegate going this year submit nominations of their friends for a drawing for $500 off their fees. With the initial letter, we received an invitation to a presentation meeting, where we were then given the costs. When my son saw the presentation, he was so excited and wanted to go so badly, it would've been hard to tell him no at that point. I guess they plan it that way. We had no idea how much it cost before that meeting. My son got $1,000 dollars donated toward his costs just by sending out letters to his doctors and other professional people he knew along with his resume. I was surprised at how many kids go multiple years by raising money and they are not wealthy people. It seems like it has really been awesome for him. They do have to provide 3 recommendation letters and be interviewed once they have registered their interest in going - $95 this year :D. I think the comfort of how well it's organized and their communication and training to us and my son though has been worth it.

He's on his way to Sydney, Australia right now. He will have 5 nights in Australia before heading home. I can't wait until he gets home. :D I miss my BABY. ;)

Thanks everyone for listening to me here. It's been a hard experience for me. :)