From Kelly:

My son turned 18 this week in the midst of a family crisis and I never did get around to baking his birthday cake! Now, today we have both started a diet and birthday cake is off limits. (At least a WHOLE birthday cake is - maybe I should go buy him a single cupcake from the bakery?)

Life sure comes at you fast doesn’t it?

I remember when Sean was about 12, I looked out at the teen years with a lot of fear. Would he go wild in his teens like I did? Would he be rebellious and hang out with other teens who were drinking, smoking and having sex? I felt so inadequate for the act of parenting a teen.

Raising kids seemed easy. Raising teens was scary business.

But now - suddenly - it’s all over. He’s an official grown up. A young man in charge of his own destiny.

(Oh man… what a sap… can you believe I’m getting bleary eyed over here?)

I asked Sean on Saturday (with no risk of retribution) if he had truly kept as clean as I thought he had as far as sex, drugs and alcohol goes. I’ve always felt confident on this - but I’m sure many of my friend’s parents were equally confident and shouldn’t have been.

He grinned and said “Yeah mom, I really have arrived at 18 without sex, drugs or alcohol - unless you count the ’swigs of beer’ my dad gave me at weddings.”

Can I believe him? I think so. I know some parents will think I’m probably deluding myself but that’s ok. I know how unusual it is for a teenager today to grow up without doing those things.

If only you could cap things off here. Place the blue ribbon on his chest and display him proudly on my shelf forever. LOL! (I wish!)

No, the real deal has only just begun. What choices will he make from here on out?

• Will he keep himself sexually pure for his someday wife?
• Will he continue to say no to drugs?
• When he is old enough to drink, will he practice moderation and not let it ruin his life like so many men in our family have?

It is his life and this mama sure ain’t done praying yet

From the Editor:

Another school year has ended and once again I find myself saying, “Where did the time go?”

My oldest is headed to middle school in September and her 4th and 5th grade years are a total blur. Between homework and after school activities (for 2 kids) I guess the time just got away from me. But this weekend she was telling us about her dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer and my husband very casually told her it’s great to dream but don’t wish your life away.

I find I do that a lot, and have done so from a very young age. I get excited about my goals or dreams and don’t pay attention to what’s happening TODAY. While it’s great and important to have goals, especially if you own a business, don’t forget to appreciate the moments of today because before you know it, too many moments will have passed and you’ll only have distant memories.

From Our Featured Guest Bloggers at Mom’s Talk Network:

• Aurelia Williams from Real Life Guidance shares some ways to reconnect with your family this summer.
• Elizabeth Ashe from Internet Marketing Diva explains the basics of search engine optimization for those starting an online business.
• Pat Fenner shares some common challenges of homeschool parents who also work at home.

Other Tidbits:

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