De-Stressing 101

So, how did the stress intervention go last night? Uh, not too well. When the big kid got home from work, he went straight to bed. I thought that I might have an opportunity at dinner to chat, so I prepared the world's most fabulous shrimp tacos. No one can resist my tacos...but the kid went out with his dad to throw then went to the gym to work out until 10 pm. By the time he got home, I was too tired to listen to anything....so, my plan remains inactive. Although, I am doing some "mom things" to help him to feel better.

What are these "mom things"? Well, his room looks like one of the houses in Hoarders with bottles, wrappers, clothes, and books strewn about the area. There is work out equipment, baseball gear, and dirty socks and crumpled paper. I have deliberately stayed away from the mess since the guy is now a young adult. So, this is his domain...not mine....then it hit me....what can I do as a parent to help someone feel better and dig out of their anxiety? The answer is to do something that can alleviate some of the existing stress. Therefore, I entered the laundry room with a mask, goggles, and gloves on and started a day long process of doing the kid's laundry. Yeah, I caved in....

Why did I cave in when I have always said that the clothes and their maintenance are up to my kids? I guess that I did it because he is not lounging around watching television. In fact, I wish that he would take more time to relax but he doesn't...so I am going to plow through the tee shirts, wash, fold, and pack them for the trip to college next week. I will use the fabric softener sheets with the mountain fresh scent. This should help to alleviate some of the angst as he focuses on regaining his composure.

After all, he is going back into the stress of school, practice, and try outs. Fall ball is about to begin and he is nervous about achieving his goals. He desperately wants to start this year. But he is coming off surgery. The physical therapist told him that he is going to be 30% better than he was. He was pretty darn good before the surgery, so this will be a major improvement. Why is he so worried?

Like all of us, he is nervous about the "unknown". The unknowns are the new recruits who are arriving as transfers and new freshmen. He is worried about the 'walk-ons'. He is also worried that he will not have his "stuff" in time to make an impact on the season. Ahhh.....now he makes me crazy. Do all parents go through this? I guess the answer is that most involved parents, friends, and family members have a vested interest in the happiness of their loved ones; so, yeah...most people go through the ups and downs....It's a roller coaster ride, I tell you. One moment you are climbing to the top, the next minute, the car is taking you screaming toward the bottom.

And so, where do we go from here? No where....I will continue to do the laundry, fold the clothes, use the little Tide stain stick, and place them in a plastic bin for transport to college. I will also be around the house for when he wants to talk or ignore me. Now, how is that for a plan?

Gotta go and transfer the wet clothes into the dryer. Have a great day!