everyday vulernability

Lately there is much talk about being vulnerable in the media. I love Brene Brown's first TED talk; 
she rocks. I have recently been humbled as a mom, as a daughter-in-law, as a spouse, and as a human.  
I have to remind myself to let go, and that I will enjoy many more experiences and see more color if I don't worry. 
My most recent experience was over this past weekend. I reacted to a situation with my daughter in a way
that I'm not proud of, but that I was able to repair because we stayed in contact with each other.

She sent my husband and I a text informing us that she was going to jump out of a plane. My heart lurched,
my husband responded to her by text telling her that she was going to make me cry, and I told her that it was 
a selfish act, because if she ended up very hurt, I would be the one taking care of her. Ouch. Bad parenting move. 
Talk about laying on the guilt, and I am in the business of coaching parents, double ouch!

I apologized a few hours later when I came to my senses. Life is precious to me at 50. We have lost my mother
and my brother-in-law to cancer in the past few years, and I responded to her out of my fear. I remember being 23,
and I felt that life would never end. She is an adult, and even if I don't agree with her choices, she has a beautiful 
life and should enjoy it to the fullest (and for her, that includes adrenaline fixes). 

She informed me when she landed safely-and sent pictures of the skin of her face flapping in the wind.
Next, she's gonna swim with sharks.

Whether they are walking to school alone for the very first time, or swimming with sharks, part of being a mom is having an open heart and loving our children no matter how much the choices they make tug on our deepest fears, 
and perhaps our even deeper yearnings to jump, to swim with sharks, or even to be as brave as they are.