7 reasons why I can’t hide in my daughter’s suitcase when she leaves home

 

 

The most important thing that parents can teach their children is how to get along without them.
Frank A. Clark

My daughters suitcase is packed. It is waiting by the front door for the drive to the airport this afternoon. I am tempted to take everything out of the suitcase and hide inside it.

I could call a friend to take her to the airport instead of me. It is 5:16 a.m. It is not too early to call Debbie and ask her to close the zipper on the suitcase after I crawl into it. Or I could ask her father to take a day off of work and drive her. Perhaps I could leave a note on my desk explaining why I am not home to take her to the Sunrise Cafe for breakfast today. I will say I had to go shopping for clothes.

No, that won’t work, she knows I am not buying any clothes for 365 days. I will tell her I went  for a long walk.

When I am in California I will sleep under her bed in the house she will be living in. If I am careful she won’t see me and I can follow her everywhere. When she crosses the street I will look both ways and step in front of a speeding car if she doesn’t see it.

After she applies for a job I will sneak in after her and tell the manager why they should hire her.

Late at night when the sun has gone down and the stars are out, I will crawl out from under her bed and fold her clothes and clean her room.

If you would have your son to walk honorably through the world, you must not attempt to clear the stones from his path, but teach him to walk firmly over them – not insist upon leading him by the hand, but let him learn to go alone.
Anne Bronte

My plan won’t work.

7 Reasons why I can’t hide in my daughter’s suitcase when she leaves home.

1. Her packed suitcase  weighs 49 pounds. I weigh 125 pounds. She will wonder why her suitcase is so heavy. And she will not be pleased when she has to pay the extra weight fee charged by the airline.
2. She won’t be able to lift the suitcase off of the luggage carousel. If she has a friend help her, how long will I be in the trunk of the car before the suitcase is taken out?
3. It is cold in the luggage compartment of an airplane. And what if I have to go to the bathroom?
4. I don’t have anyone to open the zipper on the suitcase for me when I arrive there. It will be hard to sneak out of a suitcase if I can’t open the zipper.
5. She will wonder why her suitcase is empty when she goes to unpack it. She will wonder what happened to her camera and her clothes.
6. My children who are still at home will miss me. Who will step in front of speeding cars for them here?
7. If I shadow my daughter’s life as a watch dog mother I will not be living my own dreams.

My back up plan

I will pray.

Actually praying should have been my first plan. I can’t be everywhere but God can.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3: 5-6

Sigh. I won’t hide in my daughters suitcase. I will drive her to the airport and help her get checked in. I will walk her to the security entrance and I will turn around and drive home alone.

I will trust God.

Actually, I won’t be alone on the drive home. The same God that will be with her as she flys away will be with me as I drive home.

Did you want to hide in your child’s suitcase when they left home?