Things I'll Miss

I don't claim to be a great predictor of things to come... Who can say what my kids will be interested in, what they'll be doing or where we'll all be a year or two from now? But I do think forward, and I read something recently that got me thinking about what I'll miss. The author said she actually misses the never ending mountains of laundry from way back when her kids lived at home. Now that her kids are grown and gone, she misses the laundry. What? I really couldn't imagine missing that part of raising a family. That's like missing the messy diapers. Yeah right. But I can imagine there are things I will miss. Like demanding kisses and the kids willingly complying. Negotiating whether I'll pick them up from school or the bus stop. Their rapt attention as I explain some new and amazing concept (like standing up while peeing!). Their faith in me that I have ALL the answers, "Mom, how do babies grow?" Seeing the pure joy on their faces when they master a new skill - coloring inside the lines, writing their names, bike riding, roller skating. Today Shelly noticed that I've been sniffling and coughing, and she told me I shouldn't eat any candy, because I'm sick. "You should just eat healthy things, Mom."

It all makes me a little homesick to think about, like I've already missed it, its gone and never to return. Well, its not gone, I have a few years ahead of me still to enjoy those moments. Eli is just at the beginning of these baby-growing-into-childhood moments. Shelly is growing into "big kid" status without looking back and Archer's constantly impressing and amazing me with his knowledge and maturity, even at just seven years old. So in all my looking back and missing their younger years, I guess I need to remember that the years in front of us have so many new adventures, ones I can't even imagine, there's no time for wishing for the past!