“Don’t blink/you just might miss your babies growing like mine did..” – Don’t Blink by Kenny Chesney
At dinner this evening, I was listening to my three youngest children (ages 17, 13 and 12) talking about their day. They were discussing school, teachers, friends and then in unison they broke into the now popular “Pants on the Ground” song. This interaction made me realize that sometimes my life gets so hectic I forget to stop and really pay attention to what’s going on around me. Tonight, as they were talking, I realized I was living in the moment. It was a beautiful place to be and I was very present and very much aware of what was happening. My babies are officially growing up!
It seems like only yesterday I was changing diapers, going to play groups and trying to keep two tiny boys from climbing over the baby gate or up the front of the refrigerator while keeping up with two little girls at the same time. No wonder I’m so tired! Gone are car seats, double strollers, bottles, Teletubbies, blocks and dress up clothes. These have been replaced by Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Wii, guitars, driver’s license and Axe.
I am very proud of the young women and men they are becoming and in my oldest daughter’s case, have become. I remember when she was a newborn how terrified I was of messing up causing her to surely need lifelong therapy to undo all the mistakes I made. I was so unsure of my ability that I questioned whether she would make it to her first birthday. I am happy to say she made it to her first birthday and is now 23 years old and is a beautiful, strong, vibrant and talented young woman who knows what she wants and isn’t willing to settle for anything less. Her brothers and sister are happily following right along behind her, becoming more independent each day. The four of them are compassionate and loving and seem happy. To my knowledge, none of them belong to a gang or are sticking up 7-11’s, so I guess I’ve done an acceptable job so far.
It is a bittersweet time for me. As much I want them to stay little, I look forward to seeing them grow and flourish into the spectacular adults I know they will be. In closing I just want to say “Thank you God for my babies. They are truly answered prayers.”
You may also like:
