tough mom moment- church retreat

I sent my oldest off to his first church retreat camp. He had been looking forward to it for such a long time, but as the day of departure drew closer, he became more and more nervous.

You see, my boy is shy. Very shy. He is an amazing kid. Intelligent. Interesting to talk to. Sweet. Even so, he is shy when he is with his peers.

He used to go to school with the kids in youth group. So, when he started attending youth group, he felt comfortable with them. Then, last year, he left public school to attend a private school, and he felt "weird" (his word) about going to youth group, and he pulled away a bit. Actually, he quit going.

Recently, he expressed an interest in returning. I was thrilled! I think it's great for him- not only socially, but also in respect to the fact that he will have a great deal of service opportunities that he wouldn't have otherwise.

So, fast forward to today- the day of departure for the retreat. My kiddo is a nervous guy. We arrive at the church, and he was trying hard to find a group of guys to hand out with. After a few failed (at least in his eyes) attempts, he approached me and said, "Mom, get my bag. We're leaving."

Uh oh. Not what I wanted to hear.

I had the extremely unpleasant job of being the bad guy at that point. I told him he had to go.

I could see the panic in his eyes. I was as upset as he was, but there was no way I was going to let him know that.

I held my ground and watched as he left. I was worried, I felt horrible. Yes, I even cried.

I fretted for an hour and a half, hoping for the best, fearing the worst.

Even so, my kiddo texted me when he got there to let me know he was in a cabin with some guys he happened to be friends with and was happy. :)

Yay!~ Mom is happy too now. :)