Marinating In The Moment

My mom showed me how to fully enjoy parenting at the cabin

- Christy Heitger-Ewing

I threw the last of our luggage into the trunk before starting off on the 500-mile journey to the cabin, just me and my 15-month-old.

A seasoned worrier, I anticipated a difficult trip with Kyler in the back seat demanding toys, snacks and my undivided attention. But as it turned out, he hardly fussed at all.

“See? You fretted for nothing,” Mom said when we arrived at the lake.

Beaming with gleeful anticipation, she reached for Kyler. “I have so many plans for this little guy!” she squealed.

Instantaneously, the needle on my anxiety meter started to quiver.

“We have to watch him like a hawk, so he doesn’t trip on the stairs or fall off the deck,” I said.

Mom grinned.

“I’m serious,” I insisted. “He could get too close to the campfire or toddle off the edge of the dock. Or what if he stumbles into poison ivy or a hornet’s nest?”

Mom stifled a chuckle. Clearly, she found my list of potential disasters amusing. But as a worry-prone parent, I wasn’t laughing.