Grant - Spreading His Wings

It's been a little over a week since Grant took a job in another part of the country. It always worries me a bit when one of my kids tries a new thing. Of course, Grant has lived in Japan for 2 years, so it's not like he's new at this. But, the past week has been kind of tough on him...

He was offered a job with a company that sells and installs security systems. The job is just for the summer, and he will be able to make quite a bit of money - between $10,000 and $30,000 - depending on how many installs he can do in 3 months. It took him awhile to decide whether or not to take the job. He really didn't want to move away by himself for the summer. When I suggested that he tell a few friends about the opportunity, and they were hired along with him, it became an adventure! At first, they were hired to go to Spokane, WA. Then, due to some circumstances with timing, they were told they would be going to Calgary, Canada. This required a student visa, which takes a little time. While waiting, they finished up finals, and got ready to go. A few days before they were scheduled to leave, a call came in from a supervisor - the visas weren't coming through. So, they needed to go to Texas for awhile. This is where it started getting annoying. They had to split up - Mike, by himself, and Grant and Jeff together. The day they left, Mike was told there wasn't room for him, and was put on hold. Grant and Jeff left, and drove 23 hours to Tyler Texas. Meanwhile, Mike got a call that sent him to California. He arrived there before the others arrived in Texas. Grant and Jeff were in Texas for 2 whole days, before another call came from a supervisor, saying the company had over-hired for that area, but there was room for them (and in fact, they were desperately needed) in Charlotte, NC! There was a catch though - this was late on Sunday, and they would have to get to Charlotte by Monday night, so that they could get licensed on Tuesday - the last day the license guy would be there. So, they got up at 4:00 am on Monday, and drove for 15 hours. The good news is that they made it to Charlotte. And Grant loves it there. He doesn't remember this, but he lived in No. Carolina for 3 years when he was young. He calls once every few days, to let us know how things are going. He is trying to get trained right now, so he hasn't done any solo installs. Today, he called, very frustrated (something that is becoming very common) - he took his car to get an oil change, and they charged him $60! Apparently, they replaced some brake lights without asking - he was on the phone, and they didn't want to bother him. So, instead of $4.00 for some bulbs (which he easily could he changed himself), he ended up paying $20, in addition to the oil change. Plus, today is payday, and the company owes him $500 for gas and training - they haven't paid him yet.

When Grant said he was going to have an adventure, none of us thought it would be quite like this. I know that once he does some installs by himself, and feels more confident, he'll do well. I know that once he gets paid, he'll feel a little bit better. Things will work out, and this summer really will be a great adventure. And, pretty soon, he'll be so busy, he'll stop calling so often, which makes me sad. I'm glad he has the opportunity to spread his wings a little bit, but, it's hard to hear about the growing pains, and not be able to do anything about it. I read posts on other blogs all the time, about how tough it is to raise little kids. It is. Been there, done that. Just wait until your little kids get bigger. The problems and challenges seem to grow as they do. And, as a mother, you never stop worrying, or wanting to put things right. But, part of growing up is learning to do things on your own.

I read a quote that said: "Until you spread your wings, you have no idea how high you can fly." This is one of the great lessons of growing up - learning to take chances, leave the nest, and spread your wings. And one of the lessons of parenthood is that you have to allow that to happen. Good luck, Grant!