Parenting
can be monotonous. Oops! Did I just say that out loud? It’s true and
anyone who’s had a baby knows it. We’ve all had those days when going to
the park and watching your toddler go down the curvy slide one more
time is enough to make you scream.
Yesterday
I caught the eye of my neighbor as he sat watching his two year old
twin boys playing in his backyard. He had that look on his face and I
knew he wanted to say he was feeling tired of the routine, but instead,
he smiled and commented on how boys are always drawn to the messiest
part of the yard. I smiled back recalling all the days I sat watching my
girls playing in my yard and wishing for the time when life would get
interesting again.
Yes,
my babies made me smile and I love them more than life itself but the
reality of being the parent of young babies is the days can blend into
each other and time can feel as if it completely stops. I think just
knowing other parents feel the same way can help you feel better. It’s
not that we don’t love our children and want to be with them but it’s
one of those things about parenting that people don’t readily admit to.
Like everything, sometimes it’s tough to repeat the same routine day
after day and with your children, sometimes you don’t see the big
changes until they hit a milestone like walking or starting preschool.
Last
week I brought my youngest daughter to high school to start her
freshman year. I burst into tears as she and her older sister got out of
the car. Visions of them as my little babies flashed in front of me and
I can’t stop wondering where the time has gone. They are young women
now with their own likes and dislikes but I can still see them sitting
in the backyard, having a tea party or playing in their kiddie pool.
I
used to hate it when people told me to “cherish the baby years” but
suddenly, your children are driving and heading off to college. I say
suddenly because in hindsight, it really feels like that. Time is
fleeting and our children grow up fast. So, enjoy the days when all you
have to do is watch them slide down the slide for the hundredth time
because soon you won’t see them all day and you’ll wonder how they got
from the park to high school so fast.
