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People who know me have heard me use the phrase "Lord please put your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth."  I've tried to use this as a mantra as I navigate my way through parenting adult children. 

When my children call with news, there are definite classic subjects which summon up my mantra, among them are boyfriends and girlfriends, (past and most definitely present), roommates (and questions about their share of the rent) and the lending and borrowing of cars (have they checked their insurance rates).

However, there are other subjects that my kids have brought up that no matter how firmly placed that hand was it wasn't going to keep me from blurting out an opinion or a concern.  I believe many of them would prompt a response from any mom.

Let's see there's the time my daughter told me she posted bail for a friend, my response, you can kiss that money goodbye (I was wrong, news flash, not the first time.) 

Then there was the time my son mentioned on a whim mind you that he and some friends decided to climb half-dome in Yosemite, my response, do you have hiking boots, enough water, perhaps a GPS? 

My youngest daughter gave me a call and said she wanted me to know she was going to jump out of an airplane.  I quickly reminded her that she's valuable to her Dad and I and that she has a full life ahead and she certainly didn't need two broken legs.

During these times when I do speak out and the kids forge ahead and do it their way, I turn to mantra number two... rub my right wrist and repeat over and over again... "This too shall pass."  And it does!