Independence?

Growing up can be an unpleasant, maybe even difficult, process for some people, both emotionally and physically. I definitely had my fair share of physical growing pains and emotional ones, too, which presented themselves in all kinds of colorful varieties.

What I've increasingly realized this week is just how difficult it also is on our parents. Or, I guess I shouldn't generalize -- so, on my parents. Some parents? Yes.

I'm going on a roadtrip to Florida with nine of my friends for about a week. We leave this Saturday at 5am for a straight drive to Florida (rotating drivers). We're going to start back up next Thursday, except with an overnight stop at Hilton Head in South Carolina, which I'm told is a beach. We'll start northward again on Friday and get back sometime Friday night, most likely.

My parents are freaking out about this. My dad keeps dropping advice on me -- lock all the doors while you're driving, don't speed, be careful, don't bother the drivers while they're driving, don't drink and drive, don't talk to strangers, etc. My mom, in light of my dad's reactions, has decided to play the calming presence in this scenario, even though I know she's pretty worried, too. It's a long drive (16 hours, approximately), we're all "kids," I've never gone on a road trip with my friends before, and of course, I'm a girl, which makes it that much harder, especially for my dad. My mom pointed out to him that I went to Italy for 3 weeks essentially by myself (technically with a group from school, and we were there for a class, ostensibly...), and was on another continent, and then stopped with a, "Of course, we were freaking out that time, too. But at least you weren't driving around."

I don't have much of a point here. I recognize their concerns, and I love them even more for having them. Yes, I feel a bit stifled, but they're my parents, and they are going to worry, and it doesn't cost me anything to listen to advice my father insists on giving -- it probably even helps, in its own way.

I'm growing up, I'm becoming more and more independent, and it scares the hell out of them.