These parents need our prayers …

There’s an old story about two young children who were standing on the corner of a street, bragging about who had moved from state to state the most.

One little boy said, “My family has moved three times in the last three years.”

“That’s nothing!” said the other little boy. “My parents have moved five times this year — and I found them every time!”

Parents sometimes joke about wishing they could get away from their kids. But not this time of year. This is the time of year that nostalgia hits parents like a ton of bricks, and they wish for just one more day with their child.

It’s around this time every year that social media is flooded with pictures of children getting ready for the first day of school, and notes from parents who can’t believe their child is that old, that tall, and going into that school grade.

But there’s another group of parents out there who are really tugging on my heart. It’s those parents who are saying goodbye to their children.

Not a permanent goodbye, but a goodbye nonetheless as they see their children take their first real step away from home as they head off to college.

Now, “college” may be across town, or across the state, but for some it’s several states away. For all of them, their kids might as well be studying gravity on the moon as far as the distance is concerned because the bottom line is they are no longer home.

They’re not away on a sleep over.

They’re not visiting grandma and grandpa.

These “kids” — young adults, really — have taken their first permanent step out the door to begin forging their own lives as adults. While many of these parents are bursting with pride in their children who are stepping out into adulthood, there’s a million different thoughts and emotions swirling around in their minds, causing some aching of the heart.

These parents won’t be getting their children back; instead, their grown offspring will be returning for visits.

That’s not just a major change in the young people who are riddled with anxiety as they step into the unknown of their futures, it’s also a huge change for these parents.

Over the past few weeks, a lot of prayers have been offered for students heading off to college, or even to serve in the military. But let’s not forget these parents who are also experiencing a big change in their own lives as they say goodbye to their young adults. Let’s specifically add these parents to our prayers as they experience this change in their lives with their now adult children. They need our prayers, too.

Scotty