Watch out, northwest Ohio, there’s another new driver on the road. Coincidentally, heaven has been stormed by more prayers than usual from the Kessler household.

If you were to ask my 16-yearold, this is nothing more than the usual parental “freaking out.” (Insert big eyeroll here.) Apparently, trying to keep your children safe by insisting parents be present at any home they are visiting is another form of “freaking out” and not trusting them.

Yes, we’re in the thick of it. As much as I’ve tried to keep them between the ages of 3 and 9, they keep growing anyway. Our three are now ages 11, 13 and 16.

As much as I worry about them when my husband or I aren’t immediately available to help guide them to good choices, my brain keeps telling me I need to let go a little. I know our job as parents is to prepare them  to be independent and successful adults.

This may sound silly, but I can still remember our daughter’s first dance recital and how hard it was for me to watch her on stage. She was probably in first grade and I took her to dress rehearsal the night before the big show. The stage and auditorium were huge — a far cry from the small studio in which they had class. When she walked onto the stage to perform, I felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. I was afraid she’d be nervous or get stage fright and forget what to do.

Afterward, I asked if she was nervous. Full of all the confidence in the world, her answer was a resounding no. Why would she be nervous? It was no big deal.

So here we are, 10 years later. And again, my heart leaves me every time she takes the keys for another trip without us. Is she nervous? If you were to ask her, I’m pretty sure she would give you one of those famous teen eyerolls and emphatically say no.

Am I nervous each time she takes the keys to drive herself somewhere? Uh-huh. Am I “freaking out” if I expect  her to text me when she gets to her destination and again when she leaves to come home? In her mind, absolutely. Do the texts help put my mind at ease? Of course.

I suppose this is just the start, the first baby step of the next two years of her gaining more independence. I’m sure it’s all part of God’s grand plan that allows parents and their kids to make that break to become independent.

These are the days, though, that I find myself praying more fervently than ever. Please, Lord, keep her safe; help her from getting lost (or from the GPS giving her bad directions); please keep her out of harm’s way. I know these prayers are heard and answered. I am so thankful to have my faith to lean on during this time in our lives and wonder how people without a belief in God make it through the teenage years.