I sooooo want to be a helicopter parent right now. I want to hover over my child and make sure he’s okay.
Charlie, my 5th grader, is on a bus heading to Gettysburg for a class trip. At least I think he is. I held myself back from continuously circling the block until I actually saw the bus pull away.
I dropped my child off in front of the school with a gazillion other kids and a few tentative looking parents. The tentative ones were the chaperones.
Charlie will be staying in a room with two other boys and one adult male chaperone whom I marched up to meet for the first time just this morning.
He seems like a nice guy, but the mom in me walked away wondering if the school does background checks before they let someone hang out with my son.
Then I started wondering if Charlie had enough snacks for the bus ride… Maybe I should run to the gas station quick and grab a few more? No! Keep driving.
Then I started wondering if Charlie remembered to bring his money for meals… Maybe I should just call one of the other moms on the trip and have her double check? No! If he forgot money, the other parents won’t let him starve.
Then… Should I have written him notes to read before bed?
Then… Should I have reiterated the dangers of strangers?
Then… Should I have reminded him again to tip the server if he goes to a real restaurant?
Then… (sigh) I remembered that God has a plan for Charlie. I remembered the verse we memorized back on Week 5: “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” (Psalm 139:16)
And then my mind went to the memory verse we picked out for this week:
“But You, O Lord, are a God who protects and is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” Psalm 86:15 (AMP)
I bet there is someone in your life that you worry about, someone you wish you could hover over and heal or protect.
I hope memorizing this verse brings both of us a little peace of mind, and continues to remind us that God loves them even more than we do.
