When I think about significant milestones in my boys' lives, there are certain ages that stand out beside the obvious ones. 18 months - when my boys turned this age, I was able to breathe deeply and think I can do this!!! I gained more confidence, the boys had more independence. Gone were most of the sleepless nights, they could communicate their wants and needs. They were able to walk by themselves and understand instruction. That age was significant. (This is also the age C was when we conceived R, so I must have really felt confident!)
3 years. At this point, my boys were potty trained (for the most part). They seemed so much more independent and could do so much by themselves. Just becoming liberated from a diaper bag was huge. They started preschool and began socializing more.
Now, I am taking notice that 5 is a big year. C will be 6 in less than two months, but 5 is huge. He started kindergarten, which is such a big deal. I feel like he has matured tremendously since the start of school. He is gone five days a week, for the better part of the day, which makes my heart hurt! I still miss him so much! Like Shelley, I understand the urge to home school for a few years. He is responsible and is able to think things through and make decisions. He has a love for learning and a desire to be his personal best. I am so proud of him.
He lost his first tooth this week. On Wednesday night, after three or four days of wiggling, he let me pull it out and the tooth fairy came to visit him that night. Long after he went to bed, I was watching some show and the kids were graduating from high school and leaving their parents to go to college. One dad said 18 years went by pretty quickly, didn't it? Oh my goodness. I totally lost it. I finally get it. Now I know why it was so hard for my parents to leave me at college that August day some years ago. It's because our children grow up way too quickly! The preschool years are fleeting! Once they start school, I believe a piece of them is lost to us that grows larger every year. They start growing independently of us. I cried and cried for those poor parents whose children are leaving for college and the hole in their parents hearts they will leave as the parents try to figure out how to move forward. I cried knowing that P and I will be in those shoes in 14 years.
I am praying that I will be intentional and live in the moment, not worrying about tomorrow's soccer game, the fundraiser, the birthday party, but sit down and love my boys today.
Whew!
2 comments:
14 years seems like a long time, but it really isn't. It will be here before we know it.
That was so well said. Jason and I were talking the other day, and I made the comment that Ellie would be needing a car in about 10 years. We both stopped, and just looked at each other. I asked J, what he was thinking. He said, 10 years doesn't seem like very long. I was thinking the exact same thing.
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