I Got a New Kid!

My youngest child, Matt, came home from college this past week to spend the summer at home. Right when he pulled up in his car (which was loaded "to the gills") I was on my way to Sacramento to get Michelle on a plane to LA. So, I gave him a quick hug and I was off. While enroute to SAC, Matt calls me on my cell. He was DOING LAUNDRY! He wanted to know which setting to use on my washer since he was used to the machines at his apartment complex.
Could this possibly be "my baby"? I was so pleased with his initiative.

I have always been the enabling "Super Mom", who, if at all possible, will try to do everything I can for my kids. Realizing that once they left the nest and went to college, they would need to know how to do some basic life skills. So, approximately a week before each of my kids moved down to SoCal to attend college, I would give them a "crash course" on life skills: how to sew on a button, ironing 101, checking oil in their vehicle, paying their Visa bill, balancing their checkbook, and how to make burritoes. Of course, I think that is way too much information for them to assimilate in just a few days. It went in one ear and out the other. So, they would have to sink or swim once they set up their own little households. Along the way, I think all three of the kids called me from the laundry room as they were trying to decide "Hot or Cold Wash"?
They did very well on their own, however, and I was proud of them. I coddled them while they were at home, but once they "launched" I pretty much "took my hands off." At first I would send a card & email frequently, but as the semester wore on, the communication became less frequent. They would call if they had a question or concern, but for the most part they did a phenomenal job of making it on their own and making good choices. And, along the way, I think they all had a near-perfect GPA....and I didn't even have to help:)