Child Safety

I was planning to post some pictures from this past weekend tonight but I thought, why not share my favorite picture of the week first?!

Sort of a serious look for a 7th-grader, but these are serious times.

Earlier this week, my great-nephew Anthony (also a 7th-grader) turned 13. What? A teen already? Carter won't be far behind. How did we get these big boys all of a sudden -- and is there a way to stop them from growing up any more?

Nope. My niece and I (and a whole lotta of other 7th-grade moms and dads I know) are in for the ride of our lives. Some of you parents of post-teenagers are probably smiling and thinking, "I hope you go through what I had to!"

I'm guessing we will. Not really any way to avoid it. And, yes, I'll admit, that scares me.

I think what scares me most is that little by little my baby is getting out there in the world and I can't protect him. I can't keep him safe. Car seats, sippy cups, hand holding... all gone. He's "out there" now, looking all serious and adult-like and facing adult-like issues and decisions.

Seventh-grade seems too young for that. But it's not. Not anymore.

Carter told me he heard of some 7th-graders at the public school who got busted for having "pot and marijuana" at school. I said, "Pot is marijuana." He said, "Oh, I didn't know that was the same thing." He shouldn't have to!

Yes, it's a scary world out there. We can't protect our kids from everything, but we can arm them with common sense and a solid base of knowing what's right and wrong.

Prayers help, too. Maybe not for them -- but for me! I sure feel more at peace when I know Someone else is watching over my baby when I can't be there. Don't you?