People often think that once your child becomes an adult, the worrying stops.
It doesn't. If anything, it just changes.
When they're little, you worry about scraped knees, fevers, and whether they'll make friends at school.
When they're grown, you worry about things you can no longer protect them from.
A couple nights ago, my son called me after an incident at work. There had been an altercation with another employee.
No punches were thrown. No physical fight broke out.
My son did what I wish more people would do in heated situations—he walked away. He went outside to calm down.
But the situation didn't end there.
The employee called her boyfriend, and according to what was reported, he came looking for my son and threatened to shoot him.
Thankfully, another employee prevented my son from going back inside.
The police were called, and no one was hurt.
For that, I am grateful.
But the fear didn't leave when the danger did. That's the part people don't talk about.
The event ends. The worry stays.
You replay the situation over and over in your head. You imagine what could have happened. You think about how differently the story could have ended.
And then your mind starts asking questions you don't want to answer.
What if he had gone back inside?
What if the other employee hadn't stopped him?
What if the police had arrived too late?
As parents, our minds are experts at creating "what ifs." And sometimes those "what ifs" hurt more than reality itself.
What makes this situation even harder is knowing the employee still works there.
Maybe nothing will happen. I sincerely hope nothing does.
But fear doesn't operate on facts alone. Fear operates on possibilities.
And when someone threatens your child, even your grown child, those possibilities become impossible to ignore.
People say that children grow up. They move out. They build their own lives. They become independent.
All of that is true.
But no matter how old they get, they never stop being your baby. You never stop wanting to protect them. You never stop worrying about them. You never stop feeling their pain.
That's the burden and the blessing of being a mother.
A piece of your heart walks around outside your body every day. And when that piece of your heart is threatened, scared, or hurt, you feel it too.
Maybe that's what motherhood really is.
Loving someone so deeply that their safety becomes tied to your peace of mind. And sometimes, carrying fears that they may never fully understand.
I don't know what happens next. I don't know if this situation is truly over. I only know that tonight I'll probably check my phone a few extra times. I'll probably worry more than I should. And I'll definitely thank the heavens that my son came home safely.
Because sometimes a mother's greatest relief is simply hearing the words:
"I'm home."
Until We Speak Again,
A Worried Soul
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Leave a comment below and tell me what you think. What are some things you worry about, for your child? Has something happened before?