And I'm Off!................................................

What does a mom say when her son says that he is going to Airborne School in Ft. Benning, Georgia? (translation: he would be leaping out of airplanes!) These chilling words came spilling out of the mouth of my son, Tyler, last summer. He is a rising senior at NC State on an ROTC scholarship and is dedicatedly immersed in their program.

After an initial feeling of butterflies and fearfulness, I said with a cool, (but fake) outward demeanor. "Well, can you at least text message me each time you land safely on the ground to let me know you're not dangling from a tree somewhere over Georgia?" (Ahh -- the beauty of a high-tech world in locating your children!) He then told me that he would not be able to have a phone with him -- as he shoots through the sky. My quick reply was, "I'll just give Obama a call and get permission or you can just hide the phone in your pant's pocket and no one will ever know." With a long, drawn out, frustrated tone, he said, "Mmmaaaaammmmmaaaa -- No, I'm not."

As I reflect on Tyler's childhood, I suppose, I shouldn't be surprised in the least that plunging out of an airplane is one of his life choices. While Tyler was raising me -- oops I mean, while I was raising him (or did I say it right the first time?), there were definite indications that spiraling through the sky would be a reality for him. I should have known he was headed towards this free falling direction. I clearly remember that as a baby, he rarely slept through the night and never took naps. That was the first sign that his life was going to be one of action. He had an amazing amount of energy, dry wit, and a love for exploration rooted in a natural curiosity about life. He drained each day dry with continual activity. It's not surprising that the first words out of his mouth were, "uh oh."

I recall when he was three years old, he began saying (and still does),"I AM MY OWN BOY!" That pretty much defines him'"a person who knows who he is. Is it not everyone's goal in life to know who they are? Tyler was ahead of the game by knowing it at age three -- amazing!

Because of his intense desire to drink in all the aspects of life, we ended up in the emergency room several times from his leaping off things and breaking bones. I remember feeling as if my daily goal in life was to keep him alive. I tried to get him to listen about the importance of safety and not taking risks.

I would tell him how much his risky activities caused me great worry and I asked him why he did it. His answer to me was, "Well, Mama, no matter what, you're going to love me anyway!" And he was right, of course -- I will -- he can count on that, for sure. So, after guiding him through the pitfalls of early childhood, he began making his trek toward adulthood with continued energy. I made the conscious choice to allow him to be "who he was." I did not want to squelch his natural stamina and drive to explore by trying to rein him in. He knew what he wanted and he was plowing his own path towards it. I knew better than to get in his way. As parents, after watching our children's natural maturation process, we reach a place where we must "let go." It goes hand in hand with allowing them to be their own person. It is crucial to let them foster their own sense of independence, as opposed to being controlled to be what we want them to be. And Tyler wants to be someone who is a part of the military which may require jumping out of airplanes.

Tyler will be actively serving our country in the military after he graduates. His whole life makes total sense to me and I know now that this was his destiny. He was -- is -- and always will be "his own boy" exploring the world and its opportunities. He will always have the security of knowing that "I'm going to love him anyway" and I will stand behind him -- even though I may be thinking "uh oh." Go for it, Tyler! I'm so proud of you! Leap away! (but would you please call your mama, as soon as your feet hit the ground?)

On the morning of Tyler's first jump, as I lay soundly sleeping, my phone sang its typical song indicating a text message was waiting for me. As I picked up my phone, I noticed it was 3:18 A.M!!! The message said, "And I'm off!!" And so he was -- I guess you're not surprised that I wasn't able to fall back asleep -- but, that's ok -- I was smiling because I knew he was happy -- and that's all that matters. He told me later that it was the best experience of his life!!...and so "Tyler's off!"