How fast I forget

I watched my friends 2 yo little boy today, and it felt like a whole new experience. My baby is 5 yo now and how quickly time goes by. I have forgotten. Forgotten how often a diaper needs to be changed. Forgotten how fast they get into things. Forgotten how much more you have to watch a toddler than you do a 5 yo. Forgotten about "naptime", bottles, and kids putting stuff into their mouths.

I am moving on to a new phase in life. No more babies, no more bottles, no more carseats, and no more diapers. I have to admit that it is bittersweet. I love having more freedom, yet I love cute little babies, little fingers, little toes, snuggles with a bottle, and naps.

Here I am the luckiest mom in the world, yet I get to hear at least a few times daily how much my children dislike me. Babies don't do that. I get to hear my cute little boy call his 19 yo sister a "butthead". Babies don't do that. I get to watch angelic children turn into hideous monsters. Babies don't do that.

So as I move into this new phase, I have to learn the new tricks of the new trade....My children help eachother, they nurture eachother, they laugh together, they play together. New joys to be had, new love to be shared.

Being a mother to teenagers and little children can be tough. It's different than being a mother to babies. But, there is always good and bad to both. So I seek new knowledge, and new hope that I will continue to be the mother that my children desire and will someday say to me, "Thank you for all you did for us growing up, we love you."

I love my kids so much! They are my greatest challenges, yet my greatest joys in life.