Another First For Us;)

     Did I ever tell you that I am a wee bit over protective of my boys? Since finding my great secular homeschooling group, my boys and I have made some great friends! We have had a lot of great experiences with all our new friends. We are going on our 4th year in this group and I have to say that we have made some great new discoveries along the way. One being that I now have people I can trust around my boys enough to let them spend the night with friends. Yes, I have trust issues I know but they come from a very real place in my childhood. Something that I am always aware of with my boys, and have had some real dilemmas come up over the past that just didn't allow me to "trust" every many people alone with my boys.
   
 Ever since finding a great local support group both boys have had some fun activities that yes didn't include me;)  Alex has been invited to several over night sleep over parties with lots of teens from the group. He really has a great time with them, and it helps my shut in get out and be a teenager with other teens. He has even started going to a great teen night at "gasp" a modern church, that is open to everyone 13 and up. It is chaperoned safe place he can go and hang out with other homeschoolers and kids that go to private and public schools, as well. (disclosure here: it is not at an old fashion type church they are in a commercial building with fun things for the kids to do and NO preaching to the kids!)
   
 Anthony has had his first sleep over as well, first at the neighbors house across the street and yes I was there at 8 am the next morning! Pathetic right? Then he was invited to a friend's house for his FIRST ever camp-out birthday party, and he is having a blast! How do I know? Well his mom is a great friend so she has been putting up pics on Facebook. He has all the friends there,getting to eat hot dogs and make smores, playing Pokemon until the wee hours and oh yes I have called him a time or two, or is it five times?

     Well, maybe I have a bit further to go with the "letting go" a bit, but the boys are loving it and I am loving the fact that they are having fun with their friends. So we are on the right track, heck I even have them signed up for camps this week. Alex gets to finish his camp by sleeping over night at the zoo! So yes I am beginning to find ways to let go a bit and trust thanks to my new secular homeschool group!