Sending your kid off to summer camp for the first time can be traumatic for any mother. We are torn between the luxury of a few hours of freedom to ourselves, and the thought that our children might not need us anymore. I’ve always felt that a mother’s role is like walking a tightrope. On one end is teaching your child that you will always be there for them, being sure they feel loved and secure. On the other end is giving them the self-confidence, strength and faith to know that they can do anything – on their own.

When my daughter, Kelsey, came to me last Christmas and told me that she wanted to go on a three month – 3800-mile cross-country cycling adventure to raise awareness for affordable housing, I was cautious, to say the least. When she told me they would be cycling from Virginia Beach to Oregon, stopping every few days to volunteer at a Habitat “build” project in cities along the way, my curiosity piqued.

My knee jerk reaction was; “Wow, that sounds amazing!” But internally, I am thinking “What about your job (she has been working for an architectural firm in DC since graduating from Virginia Tech 2 years ago) “What about your apartment?” “What about insurance?” Not to mention, “The Rockies are really big mountains!” … click here to read the rest of this article at www.bailiwickinteriordesign.com