Good Life Moments – My Baby Is Growing Up

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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Allstate for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It’s really been hitting home the past few months that my baby is growing up (I’m not ready to say grown up, just yet, so we’ll stick to calling it “growing up”).  It’s a funny thing, as a parent your entire focus is on raising your child so that she can function on her own and be a productive member of society.  But now as that time is almost here, my heart is filled with an incredibly difficult  mix of  pride and fear as I’m watching her grow up.

This is my baby driving home after getting her driver’s permit.  Yikes!  She’s incredibly responsible  and conscientious.  But how in the world do you let your precious baby take responsibility for thousands of pounds of machinery that is propelled by combustible fuel?  Okay, okay.  I actually dealt with that pretty well, because my baby is very responsible and I was right there next to her guiding her every move.  But more importantly, I was watching out for all the idiots on the road that aren’t as responsible as my baby.  With me right there by her side, I could keep her safe from them (don’t try to be logical and tell me that I can’t protect her from everything).

Then came the day my baby got her license and could drive on her own without my protective presence.  Gulp.  But again, my baby is a very good driver.  And I really don’t want to be chauffeuring my adult child around all her life, so I was okay with her driving in our town.

Then came the day we drove 11 hours to do the college tour spring break trip.

That would be me sitting in the backseat while my baby is driving 65 MPH for 5 1/2 hours (her dad is in the passenger seat looking out for idiots).  I was equally terrified and so very proud of my baby.  She was an exemplary driver the entire 5 1/2 hours (at 65 MPH!!!).

When you send your baby off to child care or to school for the first time, you think that your heart is breaking just a little.  But my heart is breaking more as my baby is doing adult activities like driving and talking about leaving for college.  It’s a funny dichotomy.  I’m so extremely proud (have a I said that already?), but my mama’s heart is terrified, too.

Then I look at my baby’s excited face and she’s so proud of herself.  I take a deep breath and smile my best proud mama smile so my baby can see how incredibly proud I am that she’s growing up so beautifully.

I want my baby to live the Good Life now and always.  To support her, I swallow my fears and celebrate her accomplishments with her.

This is what Allstate calls Good Hands for the Good Life.   They choose to  help drivers not just in the difficult, scary situations, but in positive ways too, like providing Safe Driving Bonus Checks and 24/7 service.

Allstate Good Life

How about you?  Do you understand my scared mama story?  What have you overcome that once scared you?  What kept you from living life like a 17-year old thrilled to be doing new things, that you now chose to approach with excitement?  I’d love to hear your story in the comments below or on Facebook.

Instead of letting life be scary, let’s feel the pride and excitement that my baby feels now as she meets each of her grown up milestones.  She’s not afraid of anything  Everything is exciting and exhilarating.  That’s what I want for her.  And that’s what I choose for me.

Susan

I’m a mom of 3, a veteran and military spouse. I’ve moved into 20+ homes all around the world. My passion is helping busy people make the space and time for what’s really important to them.