I get the amazing opportunity to help with the new Parent Ministry here at Adventures in Missions. The biggest part of my job is to monitor the Parent Facebook groups and walk through this hard journey with them. Sometimes topics come up that I feel I can give some good perspective on that will hopefully provide some calm or at least understanding. Today, I got to see the excitement of those parents whose children are almost done with the Race. Here is what I had to say about welcoming their Racers home:
I know some parent are considering flying to meet their Racers when they land at their first major airport in the States. I do not want to discourage this idea at all, but I will let you know why a few of them may be reluctant to want you there, and give you some things to keep in mind when you see your Racer.
First, believe it or not, coming back home was the biggest culture shock! Everyone speaks and texts in English, even the kids! 🙂 It was a little overwhelming to be able to understand every single conversation and open computer screen around you. It was very over stimulating to some already hyper emotional people.
Second, coming home is amazing and scary all at the same time. Racers are spent emotionally and physically and at the moment they land on the tarmac, they are filled with adrenaline. So tears are ever present and threatening to fall out at any moment.
Third, we have to say goodbye to the people we have learned to look out for and depend on for 11 months and the reality is – good, bad, and ugly – we may never see them again in this life. Honestly, your Racer can't even imagine right now what their emotional range is going to be when they get there. Even if they didn't fall in love with their squad or team, it's still hard to watch them walk away…alone.
It's just a chaotic mess when they land. People are having to rush and find connecting flights or taxies or have people there to welcome them. You are dealing with culture shock and you feel like you are in a whirlwind trying to say goodbye, not fall apart emotionally, excited to be back home, and figure out where you are trying to go to catch your next flight. When I finally got to my gate alone…I had to take some time to cry in the bathroom. I hadn't been alone in 11 months and I needed some time to celebrate that I ACTUALLY MADE IT! This was an insane trip, and I did it! I needed time to remind myself that I can make it through an airport by myself and stand on my own two feet, because you get really used to 40 people looking out for you and well…real life isn't like that. I also needed the time to reflect and prepare for what was coming. We are kind of wrecked for normalcy. As much as we have dreamed of coming home and being with our families, the truth is that going back to "life" is a little overwhelming. We are different. You are different. We don't know what to expect. You don't know what to expect. The unexpected is scary. So some down time before I saw my family was good. By the time I saw them, I was calm enough to allow them to fall apart without me falling to pieces. I could be excited without feeling guilty that I wasn't saying goodbye to everyone. I could be tired and allow them to help me knowing that I just proved to myself that I was still able to be independent. By the time I saw my folks, I was able to enjoy seeing them and was able to give them the undivided attention they deserved and really show them that I did love and miss them too.
So, please know that if you child asks you not to come to the airport or not to throw a big welcome home party, it's not personal. They just need time to let go before they can move forward.
