Took a big "mommy" step....

[Beth]

or at least it seems like a big step for me!  Yesterday I took Lara to the mall where they have an indoor children's playground.  I had been reluctantly planning to do this for a while and finally we went there.  She loved it!  At first, she was a little clingy to me because there were so many kids there running around, and she was one of the littlest ones there.  But as I walked around with her, she got more comfortable.  I tried really hard to just sit back and let her play......how hard that was for me to do!!!  I watched her play and have fun as I tried not to worry about kids running into her or her falling down.  I kept telling myself, "This is good; you have to let her do this and be a kid; this is good."  The big reward was when I saw her crawl through a tunnel and come out on the other side with a big smile on her face as she ran towards me.  I could clearly see the feeling of accomplishment in her.

Just one of the many, many times that I will reluctantly let my daughter go and spread her little wings just a little bit more.

[Barb]

Awww Beth - that is so sweet.  You can always be assured that one of the reasons she had that big smile was that Mommy was waiting on the other side !  And that you could share that accomplishment with her !!!

[Krista]

Good for you Beth!  We need pics of Lara playing there next time. 

[TerriL]

Oh Beth, your post brought back so many memories.  I remember taking my daughter to Chuck E. Cheese the first time and waiting for her to emerge from that tunnel.  I was an absolute wreck and kept telling myself that I could always fit in there if she didn't come right out!  LOL!  That feeling when you finally see that smiling face is beyond words! 
My girl is now a beautiful, intelligent, amazing young  woman now and the places are different but the worries the same!  Hang in there and just keep doing what your doing!  Being a mom is a whole lot tougher than we thought it would be, don't you think?      You and Lara will grow into this together...your doing a GREAT job!  Be sure to post pics.  It's nice to see the hookids growing up! 

[Teresa]

I couldn't help but to get tears in my eyes when you talked about letting her "spread her little wings". That is truly the hardest thing we have to do as parents, especially when what we really want to do is hold onto them forever. The smiles they give us, however, make it all worthwhile. I guess it is easy to get teary-eyed with Meghan staying in Nashville this summer awaiting her senior year of college. She is doing a practice run of living on her own, but at the same time being on campus and not having a ton of expenses. She is also researching different universities for grad school, which I had been praying she would do after graduation, so she is getting really excited about her future. Still, our house is seeming quite empty, even though we do have two puppers here.
Enjoy every minute you have and all the accomplishments. Can't wait to see new pictures!
Oh, do you have a waterpark nearby???