MONDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2011
It is happening.
(Originally written on February 28, 2011)
It begins gradually...
You walk past not down the baby aisle in the grocery store.
You walk past not down the baby aisle in the grocery store.
You are getting a little more sleep.
Sippy cups replace bottles of milk and you no longer find stinky bottles of milk lost between the couch cushions.
The diaper bag you have taken to church, no longer includes a pacifier or two, diapers or wipes. The diaper bag becomes more of a church bag.
Your days revolve less and less around feeding and nap times and more about play dates, pre school, little outings and that afternoon story time and nap!
And, the older kids begin to bring Eagle scout projects, science projects, football practice, a myriad of extracurricular activities, young men's activities, into your life.
The older children begin to be so independent, taking care of themselves without constant reminders.
Dinner time changes gradually from utter chaos to intelligent discussions about issues of the day. (Still a little chaos, occasional spilled milk!! )
The cozy cocoon of family life that you have created with your children begins to open. Your kids spend hours away from you at practices and other activities building relationships with others and having experiences that you won't know every detail about.
You realize that there's a girl or two that thinks your son is cute! You see that friends are becoming very important and though they still love you, their peers and their experiences are a priority.
You realize that there's a girl or two that thinks your son is cute! You see that friends are becoming very important and though they still love you, their peers and their experiences are a priority.
Your son experiments with shaving, even if he doesn't really need to shave just yet. And, he has a preference for which deodorant he likes to use, and "will you please buy it the next time you go to the store?"
And, then it hits you--
your family is growing up. Your teenagers are becoming themselves. And, you get to just watch from the side and cheer them on. You watch the fun, the parties and even notice a little bit of flirting and you just smile and remember what it was like to be 15 or 16! Oh the excitement.
You may miss those days, when you had your precious children's hearts and love safe within the cocoon you created for them. But, now you see the new roads before you and you know that you will savor each hill and valley. It is going to be a fun ride.
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