Any relationship you have with a boy is certain to change. It's unavoidable. Boys always grow and change. That doesn't mean the relationship has to end. It just means it has to change as the boy changes. It sounds like you are trying to keep it from changing, but you might as well try to stop the sun from rising in the morning. You can't stop him from growing into a man, and the more you try, the more he will likely pull away from you.

Give him his space and hopefully he will continue to want you in his life. Maybe it won't be as it was before, but some contact is better than no contact. If you try too hard to hold onto him, he will sense that and pull away. It's human nature.

Keep in mind that ANY relationship takes 2. One person can't hold it together. So you're going to have to accept whatever level of friendship he is willing to give you. Just like a parent can't keep their child young and dependant forever, you can't keep him thinking of you the same way he used to when he was younger. I'm sure he still loves you, but he is maturing and changing. Think of it as a young bird that eventually learns to fly. That's the way nature intended it to be. But just because he learns to fly doesn't mean he won't fly back to you from time to time. My advice is to let him go. Let HIM choose the level of friendship. You really have no other choice. The alternative is to try to hold on to something that has already changed and can't change back. This would almost certainly push him away. I know this isn't easy. God can give you the strength to get thru it.

Dakota