Update DS

[hope4all]

DS is having a great time at day camp this summer. There was one little incident. He got a hard candy push pop
stuck in his tongue. Only DS could possibly do this. ?

How is everyone else doing this summer!

[healthy11]

Stuck IN his tongue, not on his tongue?? Yikes!! Did you ask your son how it happened? I wonder if he fell while the push pop was in his mouth, in order to have that much force as to pierce his tongue. How long did it take to heal, or at least for him to be able to eat regular food again without discomfort? (I imagine anything with acid, like tomato sauce on pizza, could've been painful.)

My son is still working at the same job he got after college, but to offset the boredom of sitting at a computer all day, he likes to participate in "extreme sports" in his free time. He's supposed to be doing another motorcycle race this weekend, at Road America in WI. Even though he no longer lives in our house, it's still hard to stop worrying, especially since he's had several concussions and broken bones already. He also now has a big black labrador mix puppy (it's a yr. old dog he got from a shelter) and we've had to pet-sit it for several weeks, when he's been out of town. It's hyperactive, eats constantly and never gains weight, and has a knack for getting into things it shouldn't ~ reminds me exactly of my son as a youngster!

[hope4all]

Kids keep us going no matter the age. The push pop did not go through his tongue all the way . There was a little puncture wound on the tip of his tongue . It healed quickly . It happened because he was running with the push pop in his mouth . And then another child through a basketball to him which he missed.

DS has a dirt bike . He's a pretty good rider. However I hope he never wants to get a street bike.

It's hard to picture your son in an office job healthy .

[jisp]

hope4all I am glad your son is having a good summer and that the push-pop accident was not too serious. It is a lesson he needs to learn: Don't run with food in your mouth.

I remember the stressful summers when we worried constantly about our kids. Whether they were stuck at home with us or away at a camp or working a job, summer always seemed to come with it's own set of worries and stresses. When we finally would leave to go on vacation in August I would be exhausted and desperate to just have some time to myself. But then the vacation would go by so fast and towards the end I would start having panic attacks about the fall and what disasters the new school year would bring.

Fast forward now: Nervous because our daughter is job hunting for her first real salaried job. Will she be able to manage her money and her expenses and live the way she wants to? Will she meet and find somebody who she wants to raise a family with.

Sad because I miss our middle son (never imagined that would happen in a million years when he was younger). He is in graduate school and was too busy studying for qualifying exams and working on a paper he submitted and now has to edit. This is his second paper and he is only a first year graduate student. Worrying about how well he is dealing with the extreme heat they have been having out west. Facetiming with him was nice and appeased some of my worries about that. Healthy my middle son has taken to mountain biking and climbing since his university campus is in the foothills. Some of the mountain bike trails are quite steep and I worry. And I worry because he is also road biking too. Because of the dry heat he goes early in the morning or as the sun is setting. I am thrilled he is getting exercise, but I do want him to be safe.

And finally I worry about my baby....he lives in a part of Boston where there are many students, but there is also a lot of crime. The convenience store across the way from his apartment is a front for a drug ring (according to our son). I worry because he is going to be a senior at a prestigious conservatory of music and I have no idea how he is going to make that education morph into a career. Right now he seems to make enough money but what is enough money when you are 21 is a far cry from what is enough money at 27. He assures us he has a plan.

So yeah I no longer "parent" my kids. None of them live at home with us. But I still worry and still want to be part of their lives. But being part of their lives now is so different. It means going out to dinner and having drinks and talking and listening and sharing. And our kids also worry about us now too. My daughter, a nurse practitioner, stays on my case to make sure I am addressing health issues which I tend to ignore. She gives me suggestions about how to stay fit and young. I currently have a severe case of systemic poison ivy and my daughter was very helpful in helping me sort out treatment options.

I miss being "mom", but at the same time I was telling a neighbor of mine who has a child with special needs about how we are going to be traveling for 29 days and she said she was so envious and she looks forward to being "over the hump" when her and her husband can do that. I told her I remember exactly how she feels. Time moves forward not backwards so it is important to just enjoy.

[kewpie]

I remember as a kid always being reminded not to run with a lollypop in my mouth. Now I know why....

[michellea]

Hope - so glad to hear that you and your son are having a good summer - with the exception of the push pop incident!! It will be a story to tell 20 years from now!

Things here are going ok too. DD is home from college and at the last minute got a paid internship in her field that includes her interest in fashion and global marketing. Most of her friends are in New York this summer - but she has managed to reconnect with some HS friends and her BF is also in Massachusetts - so socially she is "ok". It's not quite the 3 ring circus she would like, but now that she is working, she has less free time to fill! When she is happy, we are happy - and vice versa!!

DS is working full time for a tree company and is enjoying the work and the people he works with. He's been to new student orientation, and we're beginning to think about his move to college. He has been dating a girl for quite a few months now - she is a HS senior - it will be interesting to see how the relationship unfolds. I learned from my oldest to give them things to consider, but to keep my opinion to myself. I just hope that he fully enjoys his college experience regardless of his relationship status.

[healthy11]

Jisp, I'm forgetting which area out west your middle son is attending school in, but I know SharonF's son lives out in Colorado, and also loves mountain biking and being surrounded by nature. (Personally, I don't think my son's motorcycle racing, even though it's held outdoors, has many redeeming qualities, especially when you consider the noise pollution and inhaling exhaust fumes. The other activity my son really seems to enjoy is playing hockey, but the league he joined plays indoors year-round, at various ice rinks. At least having his big new puppy dog forces him to get some "regular walking/running" exercise.)

[hope4all]

Thanks everyone for your response. Ray's tongue is fine. His newest injury was getting hit with a paintball on the upper inner thigh. He is perfectly okay. However I'm thinking his dad needs to get a cup(sp) when he plays sports and paintball.

[eoffg]

Ouch !
His upper inner thigh, sounds more like a painball than a paintball?

[healthy11]

Eoffg, that's a clever, and very appropriate observation!

[hope4all]

Michellea,

It seems like only yesterday ds walked into the house carrying his rock and roll truck, that was almost bigger than he was. I remember feeling scared and overwhelmed at the thought of taking care of a toddler at my age.?. Now I can't imagine life without him. He has been part of our family for the past 8yrs. Today I feel scared and excited about what the next eight years have in store for us.?

[alangcreech]

very good thread.