“wanted to make sure the door wouldn’t be locked.”
That was the text I got from our 17 year old daughter at 12:41am.
She was out with friends. The power was out at our house and the houses of some of the others. The girls of the madrigals group decided to spend the night at a warm home.
Nancy and I were fine with that. The house was cold (48 degrees). The fireplace was helping, but not enough for warmth. She could be warm and in light. And then she decided that cold or not, she wanted to be home. She texted that she was coming and I wrote back to say that she could just come in quietly.
“wanted to make sure the door wouldn’t be locked.”
I’m aware that there are times when kids do need to be locked out. I’ve met some of those kids and their parents. I know of that pain. I’ve talked with people about the need to draw lines at times. But I think that those are the exceptions.
I’m guessing that in the years ahead, Hope and Andrew will have many moments of wanting to be safe, wanting to be loved, wanting to be home. We encourage their independence. We encourage their dependence on G-d.
But, my dear children, when you text, know this: the door is unlocked. Come on in. We’re watching and waiting for you.
by Jon Swanson
Photo graciously provided by jon.swanson, through a Creative Commons license, some rights reserved
Recent Posts By Jon Swanson
- Putting tools in the toolbox.
- Watching The Road Ahead
- A Pointed Valentine
- Not Any More
- Hopeful Super Bowl
2 responses so far ↓
Anita B // Dec 24, 2008 at 6:51 am
Thank you for that post-not sure exactly why yet, but it really touched me.
Megin Hatch // Jan 8, 2009 at 10:24 am
Ditto Anita.
It’s not a good feeling for a person of any age to encounter a locked door.
Leave a Comment