Mothering Adult Children

Motherhood never ends. It goes through stages. Each stage has its joys and its difficulties. Now that my children are grown and married you’d think I could more easily cut the apron strings. My kiddoes are doing quite well on their own as they are raising and starting families. It’s me who misses the the holding and hugging. I understand what all mothers who went before meant when they said motherhood never ends. I suppose that is why it can be difficult to set the boundaries necessary as they are growing up and preparing to leave the nest. I’ve heard it said that the mama eagle removes the soft lining from the nest to discourage the young ones from wanting to stay.

For single mothers this can be especially difficult. We bond with them tightly when we raise our children alone. Perhaps we hug them even more when we have no one hugging us. We hold them tightly. So when the time comes to release it can be truly tough.

   I raised three children as a single mother before I remarried. I have experienced the potholes, pests, and perils of being the single head-of-household. As an educator in regular and special education for twenty years I know a great deal about child development and how to handle kids. I am the founder of SMORE for Women, a nonprofit whose goal is Single Moms, Overjoyed, Rejuvenated, and Empowered. I'm a Certified Professional Coach and my stories have been published in several books and magazines. My book, Living Learning Loving is available on Amazon.