I've been thinking lately - a lot - about the different stages in my life. It's scary how fast you get kicked out of one stage into another. I am so glad to be out of the school stage and the dating stage and the newlywed stage - because going on 16 years of marriage is waaay more awesome than being a newlywed, but only if you have a handsome, hunky, prince of a husband like me!
The stages with my kids are screaming past. I remember the stage where I had to pack for a week just to go to the grocery store...diapers, wipes, extra clothes, food, formula, bottles, binkys, extra binkys, toys, nursing pads, other pads. And I feel like an ancient dinosaur when I think that a cell phone wasn't included in that list! I can't live without it, or remember anyone's number without it now!
That stage of life is over for me now. My kids can even make it to the toilet to throw-up now...Emma confirmed that stage early this morning! As much as I love my BFF's washing machine and dryer, I don't like to have them do that kind of work!
The stage of children at home/kindergarten has only DAYS left until I am, again, kicked off that stage! Thanks, but I will gladly jump for joy off that stage! As much as I love my children, it is going to be a couple chinks below heaven to have ALL my kids in school...ALL DAY! The days of dragging my kicking and screaming children to work with me - they hated watching The Fox and the Hound on the 11 inch TV downstairs in my dad's office and playing with the little plastic tubes left over from when an adding machine tape ran out and paperclips and rubber bands. I played with those things when I was a little girl and came to my dad's office!!
I feel like my kids lived in the car for the first years of their lives. Now, I can go on a date with my husband (hint hint hint) and leave them at home...alone! Stage exited!
There are times when a stage ends and I feel like a total failure as a mother. The kids know that they can go to their dad if they want to do something fun. They can come to me if they want...a band aid - or dessert, because it's always a good time for a treat!
There are still several more stages left in my life though. I still have time to be a good mother, but I think I'm going to need some divine intervention to keep my sanity through some of the upcoming stages. Driving, dating, clothing choices, all things that I did myself, but want to save my kids from the heartache and embarrassment.
It's been almost 14 years of - and I don't mean this in a bad way - prison. A prisoner to stuff and schedules and routines. Those things are important, but now I can spend a little less time in prison! But then when I look at my weekly calendar, and it's filled with practices, orthodontist appointments, games, church activities, reunions...so maybe I'll spend less time in the "stuff to drag around" prison and enjoy (that word is used very lightly) the schedules and routines of my 4 wonderful stage managers!
I'm thinking that when one stage or phase ends, another begins. And another stage is added.
1 comment:
It's fun to move from one stage to another. Gracie is trying to catapult herself into the "stay at home by myself" phase. But I'm not quite ready for that.
Hey...when's lunch at Joe Bandidos?
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