No more Pookie.

It was the day I had been dreading ever since my son became a teenager. Yesterday, my 15 year-old man-boy, in a somewhat out-of-the-blue sort of way, announced to me that it was time I stopped calling him “Pookie” (just one of my many nicknames for him) in front of his friends. And, he continued, while I was at it, I should probably stop calling him those names altogether, even if it’s not in front of his friends . . . because he is almost 16.

My response was a heavy sigh that only we Moms know how to sigh, followed by my response, “Do I really call you Pookie in front of your friends, Sweetie?”  Oh. Oops. Did I just call you Sweetie, Babe? Oops. Did it again! Well, gosh darn it, I’ve been doing it for . . . well, almost 16 years! It’s a hard habit to break!

When our kids are growing up, we know that, inevitably, they’re going to grow up for good. They’re going to move out of our homes, start their own lives, build their own dreams, and take the world on in their own way. That’s what we’ve raised them to do, after all! But, when those poignant times come throughout the growing-up-times when you see them practically grow up in an instant, the reward of “I did it – I raised a wonderful person” doesn’t seem so rewarding. It just seems like it all went much too fast.

I remember having this same feeling about our daughter who recently went away to college. How could this be happening all of a sudden, I remember thinking.  I just gave birth to her! But it does happen, they do grow up, they become independent, and we all adapt. It’s not such a bad thing, I’ve discovered, but it is different. New ways of looking at things, new ways of building your relationship with your child, and new adventures that they embark on with Mom at Dad no longer at arm’s reach.

“So, what should I call you?” I asked. “Son would be fine,” he responded. “OK, Sunshine”, I responded (sounds a little like “son”).  He smiled and hugged me. He’ll always be my Pookie.