by Kim Leady
How many times have you heard or have even said yourself - better enjoy your kids now, because they will be grown before you know it - or something along those lines. I know I've heard this many times since the birth of our first son, and have even said it a couple of times to both my sisters. However, a few Saturdays ago, those little words took on a whole new meaning for me.
After rushing around town doing all the errands which fall under the job description of Household Engineer, I found myself with a little extra time on my hands - I was sure I had forgotten to do something, but danged if I could remember what it was. So, I seized the moment and went to Montgomery Bell State Park to take a little stroll through the campground.
You see, my husband and I are still in the market for the perfect tent to call home while we're on our little canoe adventure this summer in the northern part of Minnesota, which I have affectionately dubbed - Leady's Eco-challenge. So, with this in mind, I thought I would take a hike through the campground and see what the other brave souls were using this year to shelter themselves from the bugs, snakes, and of course the many tiny rain drops that seem to fall when one decides to sleep out under the stars.
Everything had been going great up to that point - the birds were singing, the sun was shining, and a gentle spring breeze was blowing with a hint of summer, that is, until I turned to shut my door and spotted them only several feet away.
There, sitting on a log next to the creek that meanders through the campground, was a man with two little boys - maybe five and seven watching something float past them.
My vision blurred, as I was overwhelmed with emotion. In those few seconds, I realized my "babies" had some how out grown those innocent years. I had been a good mother…still was. And I have always taken heed to the advise about enjoying my sons (minus the trips to the emergency room for possible broken bones, which I might add we've had a few), because they would be grown before I knew it. What had I done wrong?
My heart was whispering - Look over there, your little boys and their Daddy. While my mind was screaming - No! No! Don't listen to that old sentimental beating thing, it's only de'ja'vu.
Of course, my mind was right. They weren't my guys. My little boys are now taller than I am. My first born is shaving every other day and my youngest - my baby, well he has a shoe size larger than his brother or his father, and now both can take the fish they catch of the hook without any help from Dad or Mom. Where had the time gone?
The urge to go find my children and order them not to grow one more inch taller or become any older (i.e. don't become cynical about the world) was overwhelming. However, as that irrational feeling subsided, I finally realized what had gone wrong.
I had done nothing wrong. It was the warning. Instead of - better enjoy your kids now, because they'll be grown before you know it. They should tell the new parents on the block that no matter how hard you work at enjoying your kids, when they're grown, you're still going to want to recapture their early years. Back when their eyes were still filled with wonder and they thought you could do anything in the world (i.e. saving a toad that ended up on the wrong end of a cat's paw).
That's what they should say!
Kim
