When my children were tiny, people often commented: "you'll miss the baby stage, it's gone so quickly." I'd nod my head while secretly thinking they were wrong. Babies and toddlers are so hard! Meeting constant needs and supervising was exhausting.Today my husband took our teen son on an overnight trip while I'm home with our 12 and 8 year old. We were all working on a puzzle when my 8 year old hears a little noise and asks about it. I brush it off as something minor but my 12 year old decides to investigate. It turns out my dishwasher somehow flooded the kitchen sink and water was all over the floor and in the wood cabinets. It was a ridiculous mess. As I'm running around frantically, trying to figure out what to do first, my kids just start-- helping. They rationally realize we need a bucket and go get one, they are getting things out of cabinets and asking how else they could help.I was amazed at how wonderful they were and how much easier it was for me because of their presence. It just made me feel so lucky to have them. Life was hard for years when they were younger but suddenly I find myself in a spot where they made life easier by noticing a problem, helping me, and even making me laugh in a stressful moment.I won't miss the baby years but I know I will miss this sweet spot; these amazing elementary, tween and teenage years where I get to learn my children's maturing personalities, have heart to heart conversations, and just enjoy them as people. via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2qfAP2J
No comments:
Post a Comment