I Don't Miss It

Circa 1997 My hands were full 
"They grow up so fast, in the blink of an eye," they said. I still resent those people who said it would go by so fast and I should cherish them while they are still young. Really? I had six kids under the age of 11 at one point, there was very little about my life that I cherished except maybe date night without the kids.

Cherish the stinky diapers, the vomit, the bed wetting, the whining, the dirty laundry that truly never ended, the sticky kitchen floor and towels dropped on the linoleum in the bathroom? Let's not forget the nausea, sciatica and discomfort of being pregnant for so many years and then having a baby stuck to my boob 24/7 for sustenance. What about those comatose days because the baby didn't sleep well during the night but the toddler was up at 6am as usual. Yeah...I don't think so.
Circa 2003 Survival Mode
Life is now way more fast paced than I could have envisioned and I'm seeing that I missed out on hugging my children more and telling them how much I love them. I might not have read to them as much as I wanted to or even cuddled them and tucked them in at night as often as I should have.  My older children may think it strange to encounter so much hugging from me since the first 14+ years of motherhood were sparse in the hugging category. Let's face it, I'm not a touchy feely person and I didn't make a big enough effort. I think I did other things that showed my kids how much I loved them though so I don't have any guilt. Survival mode is just what it sounds like.

My kids do things I like to do now, like football and basketball games, movies and restaurants that don't have a drive-thru. We cook together at home without making serious messes that result in my frustration in having to clean it up by myself. Sitting at the dinner table is enjoyable since I don't have six plates of meat to cut up and portion out. We talk about our day and laugh and make memories. Even though we still have two "babies," I have older kids to help out when I need another set of hands or free babysitting.
We all survived. Photo taken April 2013, oldest son on a mission
Nope, I don't miss those days at all. But I am cherishing the ones right now because I am truly happy being a mom at this stage. That is of course, until next month when my babies leave the nest...


Comments

  1. Valerie IpsonDecember 2, 2013 at 10:34 PM

    Story of my life...

    ReplyDelete
  2. TamaraDecember 3, 2013 at 7:56 AM

    Yeah, I don't miss the sleep deprivation at. all. I'm glad I'm not the only mom who gives hugs to her older kids. Love the family pictures.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saying Goodbye to my Little Boy

Image
Vance age 4 I remember sending off my oldest to kindergarten and knowing that his world was about to be bigger than the four walls surrounding our home.  It was with a terrific amount of strength and faith that I sent him out in to the world, so to speak.  I knew that from here on out, my opinion wouldn’t always be the one he counted on, that the world was about to have its part in helping me raise my boy.   I have wondered and worried every new year as I sent him off on a new phase, if I taught him enough to be able to weather the storms of life with a sound knowledge of why he is here on this earth and what he needs to do to be successful in his journeys.  Every single one of my kids gets the same worries as they start a new school year or in his case, a new phase in his life. About every August I shed more than a few tears as I send my children off on their next new adventure; middle school, high school, college, full time employment, etc. At the end of every ...
Read more

My kids go to "that" school

I just want to start off by saying that homeschooling and charter schools are not an option for me.  Call me crazy, but I'm not organized enough or disciplined enough to home school and I'm tool selfish to drive my kids to another school when there is one in my very own neighborhood and a bus to get my older kids to theirs.  It doesn't mean I'm anti either of them.  I just am happy where I'm at and have no reason to change.  My problem comes from people thinking that I am ignorant about where I send my own kids as if I haven't researched my options.  It is a topic that comes up on occasion and when it does, I feel like I have to defend myself for my choice.  I'm just going to highlight a few things that have been brought to my attention recently: Safety Several years ago, I asked the head of security at the "other" high school in our area (he is a friend of mine) if he thought there was more problems at my school than at his.  His answer?  ...
Read more

I've been gone too long

For a few weeks in September I was unable to log in.  Then, life got busy and things had to go.  But, I just wanted to say that I'M BACK!!  I hope to  find  make the time to write again because there is so much stirring around in my head that I want to say.  Needless to say, we started potty training today so I don't know what the week or two holds for me, lol. In the meantime, here are a few questions mulling about in my head and I want your replies to them... Women, as far as your home is concerned: 1.  How do you manage your time?  (lists, daily schedule, fly by the seat of your pants, etc) 2.  What things stress you out? 3.  How do you prioritize? 4.  How do you keep from getting over-scheduled? I'm working on something and need your help.  Thanks!!
Read more