Cutting the Purse Strings.....

Today was a big day in our family.  Cade went on a major school trip without one of us there.   It has been really hard on mama. 

Last night I kept going over the instructions with Cade. 
Here is money for food in this part of your wallet, here is your money if you want to buy something else. 
Just because you have all of this money doesn’t mean you have to spend it all.
Stay with the group.
Make sure your phone is charged.
What shorts are you wearing?  Make sure your pockets are good.
Stay with the group.
Don’t play games on your phone all the way to St. Louis because your phone will be dead.
Do you have Lyle and Jania’s number in your phone?
Stay with the group…..

 Yeah, I was and am still a little nervous.  This has probably been good for both of us.  These are normal life skills he needs to know and I’ve got to let him experience this stuff on his own – even if he blows all of his money at the first stop and is hungry all day.  Or if he forgets to go to the bathroom before they get back on the bus.  Yes, that is a thought that popped in my head.  I don’t know how my parents did it.  I’m sure I did similar things at his age AND I didn’t have a phone that they could periodically check on me with.  My parents left me and my sister alone at the kiddie area at White Water when Charity was 2 and I was 6 so they could ride some of the bigger rides.  So  I’m not sure they are the best ones to take advice from on these types of situations.  And another true story.  I looked at Facebook a little bit ago and saw someone had posted pictures of the game on the schools page.  I put my nose up to the screen and looked for Cade in every single picture.  Finally I got to the very last one and saw this......

 

 

 

 I’d know those freckles anywhere.  Whew – as of 2:00 pm he was still with the group.

Through out all of this Jay has been laughing at me.  Either he isn’t at all concerned or he is laughing at me to cover up his own nervousness.  He kept saying “you  need to cut the purse strings.”  Finally I said “It’s apron strings, you have to cut the apron strings.”  He said “Oh yeah, the purse strings are what you hold me by.”  Always a comedian.