And Suddenly They’re Almost Grown . . .

The kids are both back in school. This summer felt simultaneously insanely fast and unbelievably long. Some of it was hard. A lot of it was fun. And now, it’s over. If only the temperature would catch up to the calendar.

Monday morning, I rolled out of bed, way too early, to see my oldest off on his first day of school. He was leaving for morning football practice around 6:00 a.m. I made him take a picture, not in his uniform, like the past eleven years, but in his workout clothes. Then, for the first time, he said, “Bye mom . . . see you tonight . . . love you,” and drove himself to his first day of school, and I stood there with tears in my eyes, realizing how so many of his firsts are rapidly approaching his lasts.

Here’s the thing. They’re not really tears of sadness. But these moments? They are bittersweet. I don’t want time to stand still, and if I’m honest, there’s no desire to rewind to those manic, early days of infancy and toddlerhood. I would say, however, I want to cherish these days and moments because they are so fleeting. It feels like just yesterday, I was packing both of my babies around on my hip, and now, I couldn’t pick up either one if my life depended on it.

I’ve written about it before, the saying, “The days are long, but the years are short.” I just happen to feel it more acutely now than ever, and somehow, I don’t think that feeling is going to let up any time soon.

I am no longer a mother to babies. I’m not even a mother to little children. I have an eleven-year-old and an almost seventeen-year-old. Anna loves to remind me that she is a “pre-teen”, and Andrew, he’s a young adult. This year has brought me a lot of perspective. I’m more than just okay with them growing and becoming more independent. I’m grateful for it. I’m grateful to be able to witness each moment. I’m grateful for the struggles and frustrations and growing pains that come along with it. I realize it is both a joy and privilege, on even the hardest of days, to watch these two grow into the people God created them to be. But you’d better know that while they’re doing all that, I’m going to be right here, soaking in and cherishing each moment as they grow and grow up.