The following is a guest post by Kelly McCausey.

To be painfully honest, I used to worry about these days I now live in.  My son is eighteen and he is on his way to leading his own life.  He has his own agenda and doesn’t have to ask me permission for much of anything.  Yes, he still lives at home and is dependent on me for his living - but I don’t hold that over his head.

I looked ahead to this season in life when Sean was about thirteen and I felt a lot of dread.  What would I do when he was in charge of himself?  When he didn’t have to ask me whether he could do something or go somewhere?  How would I learn to let go?  A good friend with older children smiled at my concern and assured me that I’d be ready when ready was needed.

She was right of course.  I’ve transitioned smoothly into this new role.  If I worried that he would go wild in adulthood I shouldn’t have.  He’s the same great young man I’ve been raising all his life.  If anything, he’s more respectful and more responsible than ever before.

We sat down on the couch the week before his eighteenth birthday and discussed what would change between us.  There are a lot of rules and limits that I’ve imposed on him through is life.  What kind of music he listened to, what sort of television he watched, what kind of video games he played, who he hung out with and where he went.  I’ve always told him, some of these are my rules and some of these are just good rules.  When you’re eighteen you can decide which are which and go from there.

I think I was scared that the moment he tasted freedom, he’d shake off every boundary and be determined to taste all the forbidden fruit. That’s what I did at his age.  Thankfully though, I am not my mother and Sean is not me at that age.

This next couple of years while he lives at home and goes to college will be precious.  Probably the best of all the years before.  I’m not responsible for his decisions, I get to advise, support and let him make his own.  I thought it would be scary but it’s not.  I thought I would be clingy and controlling but I’m not.

I get it now.  Ready was ready when ready was needed.

Kelly McCausey is the mom of a teen and the voice behind the popular Internet Radio Show and Podcast WAHMTalkRadio.com. Not only is she a successful Work-at-Home-Mom (WAHM) but she is one of the most recognized advocates for a scam-free, thriving work at home sector for women who want to establish real, sustainable home-based businesses while they raise their children.