Heartbreak and Heartache...

There's always something new to experience as a parent but, even though I knew this might happen eventually, I was saddened that it happened so soon. This is one of those things that you cannot truly fix and make better as a parent - you have to watch your son or daughter from the sidelines, giving love when you can, but really, just watching them work through it (hopefully) and eventually moving on.

Jared's girlfriend Ashley broke up with him after about 6 months of dating. Her reasons were not truly understood and a bit confusing which only hurts more. I think it would be better to say the hard things then to say "I need space. I think we've grown as much as we can. I still want to be your friend." sigh.

But at 16 it's hard to truly say what it was about the other person you didn't like anymore - or maybe never liked - so they try to break up "nicely" and try not to hurt the other's feelings. I get that, but it's hard to grasp from the other side.

It breaks my heart to know that Jared had opened up so much from meeting Ashley - playing games that he would normally not have played, read books he would have NEVER read, seen movies he would have never seen, for his girlfriend because it made her happy and he cared enough for her to want to make her happy. To see him hold her hand and make her laugh; to see him go to the hospital, if only for an hour or two to keep her company and make her feel loved and cared for to be told the above. They had never even fought, not once in the 6 months they were together. She seemed to constantly want to get together with him and then not want to leave when it was time to go home. So this is a difficult switch - as if someone just turned her off - and it's hurting my son.

There's nothing I can do but offer my love and listen if he wants to talk - there's no words of wisdom to impart on this one as I don't understand why Ashley did it. If she had said "You are to pushy about wanting to have sex." or "We never do what I want but only what you want." I can give him words of wisdom of how to grow and change. But to say, "Maybe you cared too much for her?" just doesn't seem right. So it's, "You didn't do anything wrong. There's something wrong with her." Which doesn't make it any better or any easier.

This one's tough for me because I've always loved my role of "fix it and make it better" with boo-boo's and the such. But, this is one boo-boo that I can't truly fix... and it breaks my heart.