Pray, Prepare, Play: Embracing Change When Your Child Moves On

Whether your child is graduating high school, heading to college, or stepping into any big life transition—you are not alone in the emotional rollercoaster. This episode of Real Moms, Real Faith is for every mom learning to let go with love and grace. 💛

💬 Inside this episode:
 • Naming the things we’ll miss—and why that matters
 • The mom-job that never ends: to pray, believe, hope, and love
 • 3 intentional ways to parent through transition: pray, prepare, play
• Prayers for God's purpose, timing, and presence in our children’s lives
• Trusting Him to meet them in the moments we can't

Whether you’re months away from move-in day or just starting to feel the shift—this one’s for your heart.

🎧 Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

💌 If this episode encouraged you, share it with a fellow mama in the launch season. And don’t forget to rate & review—it helps more moms find this space!

#RealMomsRealFaith #SeniorYearFeels #LettingGoWithGrace #PrayingMoms #LaunchingWell #FaithfulParenting #GodGoesWithThem #MomOfSeniors #TransitionsWithGod #MomsInTheMiddle #CollegeBoundKids #MotherhoodInEverySeason #PurposeInThePause

Transcript

Welcome and Senior Mom Check-In

Speaker 1 0:11

This is Jenna Marie Masters with the Real Moms Real Faith podcast . I am so glad you're here so you can be encouraged to trust God with all the things one day at a time . Gosh , this is episode 16 . I can't even believe it . Gosh , this is episode 16 . I can't even believe it . Although this podcast is addressed to my fellow senior moms , the principles shared here will be applicable to anybody whose kids are going through a season of change . And guess what , if you have kids , god willing , they will be seniors one day too . So I'm just checking in on all my senior moms . Are you okay ? Are we okay ?

Speaker 1 0:45

My kids tease me every single day about how I am crying , about quote , unquote , everything , and you know what . They're not wrong . Time is slipping away and we cannot stop these seasons from changing , but we can step into each one with some purpose and intentionality . So I'm just going to let myself miss some things for a moment . Most of the time , I don't know what you're like , but I don't like to think about things . I kind of just put my head down , keep going forward . I don't like to feel all the emotions and because I do this , the emotions just pop up at super inconvenient times , Like when we're actually laughing at a funny Instagram reel . I'm crying because it reminds me of something Eli did , and I know he's going to be moving out soon . So maybe , if you're approaching a changing season , you can take a moment with me right now and think about what you're going to miss . What are you going to miss as a school year is coming to an end , as summer is coming ? What is going to change ? And it's okay

Things I'll Miss About My Son

Speaker 1 1:40

to sit there for a minute with me and name those things .

Speaker 1 1:43

I'll tell you some personal ones for me , for my son , eli , is I'm going to miss hearing his guitar echoing down the hall . I'm going to totally miss him spinning his little sister in the kitchen when they would dance . I'm going to miss stinky track bags coming in him coming home with bags of ice because he wants to jump in an ice bath . I'm going to miss seeing if he's asleep and finding him reading his Bible . Instead , I'm going to miss oh my gosh staying up late to make sure his car gets home safely . I'm going to miss watching him light up when , like his favorite worship song comes on , and he's also a really loud laugher , so I'm going to miss when he laughs really loud and it scares me , it makes me jump , because he's such a loud person , which I love , and I'm going to miss hearing him say , hey , mama , before he asks me a question . I will never stop missing those things . So , although I don't want those things to stop , they're going to Because , while some things are ending , there are things I'll never stop doing as a mom .

Speaker 1 2:39

I feel like holding onto . Those things right now are really what are giving me good perspective and giving me some joy , some joy in the season , because , of course , I'm so happy for him and so proud of him , and I know you all feel that way about your kids . So I'm going to list some things that will never stop as a mom , that you can cling on to in this season of change . Number one your prayers for your children are never going to stop . Your pride in your children is never going to end . Your belief in your children will not stop . Your hopes for them , your dreams for them , your support for them , your love for them , those things will never stop and no season can ever take away those things . Praise

What Never Stops as a Mom

Speaker 1 3:15

the Lord . So I just wanted to speak that into you because I obviously needed it today , but now we're going to talk about three things that we can do while we wait and launch our children . We can't control the timeline , but we can choose how .

Speaker 1 3:29

I want us to wake up and be diligent and intentional , to soak in every bit of life around us while our kids are in this season . We're not guaranteed one more breath with anyone , and many of us know this truth really well . I mean , life can change just in a flutter , can't it ? I want us to stand in awe as moms awakening to each day , knowing this is another gift from God , with our kids . I want us to notice that the sunrises are stunning and snoring husbands are maybe kind of cute , and that stinky soccer socks and stinky track bags actually can cause us to pause and give thanks that we have healthy kids . This is true for moms with kids of any age . Every baby milestone will feel magical . Seriously . I remember when my kids were little and I thought it was the most amazing thing that they could shove like those puffs into their mouth on their own . It's so stinking cute . I just want us to dive and dig into every day while we can , because we cannot plan the future .

Speaker 1 4:19

We have today and God is teaching me three things we can do

Three Things While We Wait

Speaker 1 4:23

in these seasons . We can pray , we can prepare and we can play . So number one is we're going to pray for God's purposes . I mean , if we haven't learned by now we do not have control over our kids' lives or our own lives , instead of trying to control everything we don't understand , trying to control this next season of their life when we know we can't , we can pray that God's purposes will unfold instead . God's plan may not always look perfect to us , but we know he's always good . So if we pray for his purposes , we're praying for the good of our children's lives and that can give us peace as they move on into this new season .

Speaker 1 4:55

The second thing we can do during this time is prepare our hearts . And again , this really is a prayer , because if we try to prepare our hearts in our own power , we're going to be really frustrated . You might be like me and start shoving all your emotions down , thinking you're fine , and then you end up , you know , crying in parking lots and just random places . But if we ask God and we say God , please , I need you to prepare my heart , you are the one that creates a clean heart in me . You are the one who said that you would give me a new heart , and if this is all true , he can take that same heart and prepare it for the change that's about to come . And it's our job as mom not only to ask God to prepare our hearts , but to prepare our children's hearts too for this next season . And if they have any siblings , pray for the siblings to have their hearts prepared as the season changes , because it affects everybody in the family and our most powerful weapon and our greatest way to prepare them for the world is through prayer .

Speaker 1 5:48

And number three is play with the people you love . Take this time and really try to seize it and enjoy it . Grab the people around you and love them . Take pleasure in them . Enjoy them , because you don't even know what tomorrow is going to bring . We do have today . For example , last night I had so much laundry to put away in my room . It's like embarrassing , but my kids asked me if I wanted to come out and go in the spa with them , and at first I felt torn , but then I thought my kids are asking me to spend time with them . The laundry can wait .

Speaker 1 6:20

And I just want to go straight to scripture on this one because I love it and I don't think that this scripture is taught enough . I've actually never heard it taught in church . Ecclesiastes 9 , 7 through through 10 . And I'm going to read the message version . It says seize life , eat bread with gusto , drink wine with robust heart . Oh yes , god takes pleasure in your pleasure . Dress festively every morning , don't skip on colors and scarves , relish life and the spouse you love . Each and every day of your precarious life , each day is is God's gift . It's all you get in exchange for the hard work of staying alive . Make the most of each one . Whatever turns up , grab it and do it , and heartily . This is your last and only chance at it Ecclesiastes 9 , 7 through 10 . I really encourage you to go look it up because it's inspiring . Grab that senior , go have fun with them . Grab your child , who may be going into a season of change , and enjoy them . Don't hesitate . We got one shot at this life , this side of heaven . Don't waste it .

Speaker 1 7:22

And the last thing I'm going to do is talk about how we can be specifically praying for our seniors or our children who are going into a season of change

Prayer for Our Children

Speaker 1 7:31

. I always talk about this , but there are areas of our children's hearts that we cannot reach , that only God can minister to . They are holy ground , and so I love to imagine praying God's will and God's peace into these spaces , because , although there'll be times that we can't be with our kids , god is always with them . If my son gets hurt in college , I'm not going to be the first one there . If he has a question , I'm not going to be the first one there anymore . If he sees something funny , I'm not going to be the first person he's going to show anymore . And all those things that I'm going to miss . God's not going to miss a single thing , and so I'm going to spend a lot of time talking to the one who is holding my son when I can't .

Speaker 1 8:16

So I'm going to go ahead and say a prayer . I'm going to include this into the podcast notes . I'm also going to make a printable and I will add a link for you to print it out and pray it over your children . You could even pack it up in a suitcase with your kids when they move for them to take . So here's the prayer .

Speaker 1 8:29

Dear Lord , I don't know your purposes for my child , but I pray for it . I ask that you go ahead of them , paving the way for peace and provision . God , I pray you are parting seas that they don't see . I pray you are planting people of godly influence in their path before they get there . I pray for wisdom when they are pressed against the hard rock of life . I pray for forgiving friends who will point them to your love , and I pray for protection over their hearts and bodies . I pray faith rises fiercely in their souls when doubt pushes down . I pray for eyes to see your blessings when they feel cheated . I pray they run to you instead of away , especially when their hearts are broken . I pray they love bravely , god , because that's why you made them , and I pray your voice reaches them when mine cannot and whispers . I will never leave you , nor forsake you . I pray that they know you , lord . I pray that my children know love because they know you . Amen . Oh , ladies , this was hard . So just to recap , the three things we can do while our kids are going through the season of change is number one we can pray for God's purpose in their life . Number two we can pray that God will prepare our hearts and their hearts . Number three play with the people around you that you love . Enjoy them .

Speaker 1 9:50

In the beginning of this podcast , I asked you to sit and list things that you're going to miss , and now I'm asking you to sit and think about things you're looking forward to Like for me , I'm

Looking Forward and Final Thoughts

Speaker 1 10:00

really looking forward to seeing my son compete in track and field at the college level . I'm really looking forward to see if he's going to meet a girl that he falls in love with in the next couple of years . Thank you for listening to me be a mess on this podcast . I'm so thankful . I'm just praying for all of you senior moms and all the moms going through change . I am with you , but God is with you too , and he's way better . And I know I don't know all of the people who are listening , but I know a lot of you and I just want to say you have run a good race as a mama . You guys are some of the most amazing women I know and I'm so proud of you . I know your kids are honored to be your kids and I know that God is so proud of you .

Speaker 1 10:42

If this hits you and you thought of a friend when you heard this , please send it to them , especially if you have a mom who is launching their child into college next year . This is for them and I just pray that this message lands on the right ears and calms and gives peace to the right hearts . If you have a minute , you could jump on and rate or review this podcast . If it has blessed you , that would be so awesome because it helps other moms find the podcast faster , and I can't wait to catch up with you next week . Don't forget to follow , save and share and subscribe . You're awesome .