To-do

There's the official Work To-Do List.

There's the unofficial Everything Else To-Do List.

And then there's the What-if List.

A week or two back my son told me "I'm moving out". This, at age 14. He thinks his life is hard and terrible and all that stuff that afflicts teens. He has no idea... Needless to say he's still at home.

And then a day or two later he started to ask about travel. About going to see places and things, going to try out a few new experiences, look at locations we've talked about and seen on TV. This, at age 14. And most likely inspired by this amazing woman, who has done what many only dream about. A chick the kid TOTALLY respects and is in awe of.

Anyway...

We recently applied to renew his passport, as it was about to expire. That should be here in the next few weeks. He's been invited to Australia to go on a big adventure mid-year-ish by the cool chick mentioned above, and I've been pondering for ages the option of sending him off to explore the world with a backpack when he turns 16.

But at age 14, at age 15? That seems a bit young! Or am I just being a protective molly-coddling mom?

I know he's not properly equipped to handle alone-travel yet. There are things I need to teach him about. He needs to understand how the world outside the gate works, and that sometimes it's going to be very very tough. He needs survival strategies and knowledge. But he has an innate sense of adventure hiding under many many layers, a curiousity about the world. He likes to make everyone believe that he just wants to sit in his room in the dark and wait for internet access (he's still internetless - and it's got him doing other things like learning Flash!).

I know better - hey, I'm his mom! :-) I know he's shy - but he wants to get out there. I know he's scared - but he wants to experience everything, everywhere. I know - because I faced down the same stuff.

So... back to that to-do list.

Today I did a bit of trawling with regard to round-the-world tickets. Costs, stop-overs, possibilities. I'm not about to drop him off at the airport just yet, but I've started to think of world-education options. And I've got a few steps starting to take shape in my head, to prepare him for his Big Adventure Out There.

The boring to-do lists? Sometimes they need a few minutes to the side while I explore the more exciting stuff.