Reflecting on my journey of motherhood, it is unbelievable how fast time has flown. Throughout every stage of my daughter’s development my role in her life has consistently changed to accommodate her needs. She swiftly grew from a cuddly newborn baby to an adventurous precocious toddler. Fast-forward a few years later, she developed into a spunky pre-adolescent songbird, and eventually sprinted through her challenging, terrific teen years. All at once, she attended her senior prom, graduated from high school, and moved away to college.

Attending her college orientation and moving her into the dorm was such an exciting time for both of us. Yet, it was an extremely emotional time for me because reality hit me that it was time to let go. She was ready to experience a new season of her life as an independent young adult in pursuit of her musical passion and purpose.

Letting go of our children is a major turning point in motherhood we must embrace if we want them to become successful adults. Jochebed, Mary, and Hannah are biblical examples of mothers who demonstrated faith in God by releasing their children at the right time. In response to the official order made by the king of Egypt to kill all Hebrew boys Jochebed made a strategic decision to let go of her baby because she knew there was something special about him. Ironically, she sent her Hebrew son drifting down the Nile River in a waterproof basket where he was found and received by Pharaoh’s daughter and her maid. Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him and named him Moses. He grew up and eventually led the exodus of the children of Israel from captivity in Egypt (Exodus 1:16-22; 2:1-10; 14:1-31).

Through tears and heartache, Mary released her innocent son Jesus to save the world. She observed his public ministry and grieved as he endured the painful traumatic crucifixion. Mary never interfered with her son’s suffering because she knew he was fulfilling the will of God (Luke 1:31-56; John 19:26).

Hannah allowed her young son Samuel to go and serve as an assistant to God’s high priest. God blessed her and her husband with more children because she kept the vow she made to the Lord in exchange for a son. Samuel became a powerful well-respected prophet and leader (1 Samuel 1:11-28; 2:18-26; and 3:19-20). If Hannah and Jochebed can let go of their young children, surely we can let go of our young adults.

Releasing our young adult children means we have to allow them to make decisions, mistakes, and experience hardships in life. We may not be able to block them from making poor decisions, but as mothers we can fervently pray for them (James 5:16). Prayer can take us places in our children’s lives we can never enter physically (Romans 8:26-28). It’s important to be ready to lend a non-judgmental listening ear when they approach us with problems and concerns. At times, they may invite us to give sound advice. When they do, we must be wise in our delivery. The best way to cope with the process of letting our children transition into adulthood is to switch our focus from worrying and obsessing over their every move to embracing the new season of our lives as parents of young adults. Blessings are waiting for us as we yield to the process.

Letting go of our children at the right time invites blessings into our lives. We get to rediscover who we are as individuals and embark on the new opportunities that life brings us. Speaking from personal experience, when my daughter went away to college, more of my attention turned to building my nonprofit, serving my community, participating in church related activities, and working on areas of my life in need of improvement. During my daughter’s sophomore year, a wonderful gentleman walked into my life. We dated, he proposed to me, and we exchanged wedding vows in a beautiful ceremony the spring semester of her junior year. She shared our special day as my maid of honor at our wedding. A year-and-a-half later after our wedding, we celebrated her graduation from college with her four-year degree. Amidst the challenges of letting go of our adult children, it can be a rewarding experience for parent as well as for them when the timing is right.