A few days ago, my son brought his girlfriend home. She seemed a bit unusualshes only a few years younger than me, perhaps four or five years. My son has fallen in love with someone near my own age, and now he wants to marry her. To add to my surprise, she also has a young daughter.
I welcomed them warmly. What matters most is that my son is happy, and so am I, but I needed to talk to someone about it. As soon as they left, I called my friend Marymy calming medicine, as I like to say. Shes always there for me, whatever happens, giving sound advice that never fails. So I rang her up and shared the whole story, asking her to help me do the right thing.
Mary listened patiently and we spoke for quite a while. Our conversation would have lasted much longer if my son hadnt returned home. He wanted a word. I braced myself for more surprising news. Mum, I want them to move in with us, he said.
I didnt know quite what to reply, so I simply said, Yes, let them come and stay. He was delighted and rushed off to share the news.
All that night, one thought kept circling in my mind: Could she truly care for my son? Perhaps shes noticed our large home in central London and knows that were a well-to-do familymaybe thats why shes attached herself to him?
With those worries, I drifted off to sleep. I dreamt of my late husband, who simply said, Its alright. When I woke up the next morning, I realised that my son isnt naïve. He sees things clearly for himself, and even if he makes a mistake, hell find a way to put it right.
Sometimes, we need to trust our loved ones to live their own lives and remember that happiness is not always found by holding tight, but by letting go and believing in their choices.
