Baby steps.

This weekend my older son went for his first camping trip as a full fledged Boy Scout. This was a big step for me because he went without his father to accompany him. I will admit that I was nervous the entire time because I didn't know the people he was going with or much about the other children. It was a very long night and morning until he returned. I was relieved to pick him up safe and sound from the trip. He was tired but reported that everything went fine and that the kids and the leaders were all very nice. I know this is just one small step in many more until he is a grown adult and that there will be many more trying phases in between. There will be parties, girls, and experiments with cigarettes and Padron cigars. These are simple facts of life that come with raising teenagers. I am thankful however that these life events come at you in baby steps and not all at once because I think I would be a mess otherwise.