Blink

Friends warned me this would happen and I didn't believe them.
Relatives warned me it would happen and I didn't believe them, either.
Now I have succumbed to the group of wise(r) parents and warn others that I come into contact with...

Time flies and kids grow up faster than you can possibly imagine.

It hit me the other day - we are no longer parents to little kids. How did that happen?? I look back and think of all the hours, days time I spent wondering how I would make it through the day until Daddy got home and could help with our little crazies angels. Sometimes it felt as though they would never get big enough to _________ (use the potty, dress themselves, play unattended for 2 minutes in another room, go to school...). Wiser parents would say that I should cherish those times as they would quickly fly by. I'm pretty sure I secretly wished for that to be true in each moment. And then it happened.

Blink!

Somehow we have gone from diaper bags and strollers to backpacks and bikes. Bottoms no longer need wiping and Dora the Explorer has been replaced with The Electric Company and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Board books have given way to chapter books and early bedtimes are pushed back for fun on the Wii or with family games.

We discovered recently that Katey is now too big for restaurant play-places. It was a sad day this summer when she had to watch Seth and his friends play while she sat and finished her lunch. How did she get so big?

I don't want to leave this post with a lamenting feel. While gone are the days of free baby ice cream cones and naps every afternoon, we are experiencing some of the fun of having big kids. We can all ride the big rides at Carowinds this year and have thoroughly enjoyed the Gold Rusher again and again! We can now allow the kids a little independence of playing outside alone with friends (with certain restrictions, of course). And, we get free labor help teach responsibility through chores like sweeping the kitchen floor.

I'm looking forward to watching the kids grow more and more...and learning how to become a parent to big kids. I'm guessing that about the time we think we have a handle on that...

Blink!