Misty Brewer Lee has two children. Her daughter is a 21-year-old junior playing college softball and her son is a high school senior who just turned 19. Two young adults, getting ready to tackle life on their own. And while they still need their mom, while she will always remain their parent, her role has changed.
Coming to terms with these changes, Misty penned an open letter to the younger parents. In it, she revealed one of the most important lessons she has learned throughout the years: to cherish it all. Every single step of the journey. And her post wasn't banal or condescending. It was sincere. Probably that's why it went viral, generating a whopping 379K reactions and 491K shares on Facebook.
Pause the music, take a seat, and soak it all in, guys, for this is a mother getting real.
Image credits: Misty Brewer Lee
Misty thinks her relationship with both of her children is really healthy, "We are definitely in a transitional phase where they are starting to experience more life on their own and I'm having to learn to let them. That's the hardest part of it all, learning that balance of letting them spread their wings while supporting them and giving them guidance and advice through it. Essentially, they are young adults who haven't experienced as much life as I have, so we aren't always going to see eye to eye on everything. But I try to be very diplomatic and take the time to implement life lessons as often as possible," she told Bored Panda. "They are at a very pivotal place in their lives, trying to find out who they are."
And sometimes, when there's so much transition taking place, it can become a bit of a struggle. That's when Misty's love and encouragement really shine through.
"My son still lives at home, so we see him daily. Our daughter no longer lives at home but I talk to her daily, usually multiple times," the mom said. "My husband and I make it a priority to spend time together with just the two of them as often as possible. So I invite her for Sunday dinner at our house every week. Usually, she's able to make it work but there are occasional weeks where she may have a big test or softball workouts and she's not able to. But typically she comes to visit at least a couple of times a week. And we are always together for the holidays."
Misty said that her faith and leaning on God, in general, was the thing that helped her to let go the most. "When they're out on their own in the world and you can't always protect them like you could when they were little children, you just have to pray that they make wise decisions. That they're safe. That they pursue a life they're passionate about. And that no matter where life takes them, they always know how much you love them."
Parents were incredibly moved by Misty's words
