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<\/a>\u00a0\u201cWow, you\u2019ve finally made it<\/em>,\u201d my neighbor whispered as I walked out of the elementary school doors. After another hectic summer, I was ready for the routine of another school year, and yet, I had found myself a bit apprehensive as I walked my youngest daughter to class earlier that morning. I grasped her hand tightly as we approached her classroom. Dressed in her brand-new outfit and eager to begin this new adventure called first grade, my daughter giggled with excitement. \u00a0Finally finding her name printed on a desk, she let go of my hand, hung up her bright pink backpack and turned to take her seat. I gave her one last hug, wished her well, and then rushed for the parking lot in case my threatening tears erupted.<\/p>\n\u201cFinally!\u00a0 Some well-deserved time for yourself,\u201d my envious friend continued.\u00a0 I nodded my head in agreement, but as I shut the car door behind me, the brutal reality hit me right between the eyes.\u00a0 A genuine, often tired, stay-at-home mother of four, I hesitated, waiting for the feeling of relief to pour over me, but it never came. \u201cIs this (the first official day with no little ones at home) the day I\u2019ve been waiting for all these years?”\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Just imagine… No more highchairs, cribs or naptime battles to deal with.\u00a0 No more nighttime feedings or crankiness blamed on teething. No more diapers! No more car seats, potty training or meltdowns at the checkout stand. Can it really be true? \u00a0No more playgroup or immunizations or dragging a preschooler around with me everywhere I go?<\/p>\n No more freshly picked dandelions carefully arranged in a Dixie cup? \u00a0No more cuddling on the couch for cartoons?, No more \u201cMommy\u2019s Home!\u201d echoing down the hall as I walk in the door?\u00a0 No more wishing upon a star at bedtime.\u00a0 No more hand-written love notes or spontaneous giggles? \u00a0Can it really be true? No \u201cshow and tell\u201d or “mommy dates” at McDonald’s?\u00a0 As I finally give away the well-worn stroller and the last box of recycled baby clothes, I somehow don\u2019t feel as though I\u2019ve made it.\u00a0 I feel like I\u2019m running out of time.<\/p>\n In the surreal blink of an eye, I have been transformed from a new mother frenzied with worry about bedtime schedules and ear infections to a mom now consumed with balancing four busy schedules and the brutal realities of junior prom, teenage drivers and college tuition. I feel like I\u2019ve finally entered the \u201creal world\u201d of parenting. My crying baby of 18 years ago is now taking college classes and ordering senior pictures, and this excited first grade student will too soon be graduating from high school. The inconvenience of the dirty diapers and messy bedrooms pale in comparison to this bittersweet process of letting go.<\/p>\n These babies of mine are growing up, and I am finally beginning to understand their message:\u00a0 \u201cLove me, Teach Me\u201d \u201cFeed Me\u201d, \u201cNurture Me\u201d, but most of all, please \u201cEnjoy Me!\u201d \u00a0This is the chapter I would add to all of those parenting books stacked on the library shelves.\u00a0 Enjoy the crying spells, the crayon drawings on the wall, the never-ending homework, the giggles under the covers at night, the text-messaging and even that first car accident.<\/p>\n I know, I know,\u00a0easier said than done.\u00a0<\/em>I do not claim to have all the answers; rather every day of this \u201cparenthood journey\u201d brings countless new questions. My days run long and my patience runs short, but I have learned one lesson during this parental learning curve. This \u00a0miracle of childhood is fading much too quickly, and I already miss it. So, every morning as I get up to face another day, I whisper to myself: “Whatever challenges, mishaps and adventures you encounter today, remember to enjoy them, embrace them, and smile through them (with gritted teeth if necessary) because one thing is for sure. Today will quickly become yesterday, and it will never pass this way again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00a0\u201cWow, you\u2019ve finally made it,\u201d my neighbor whispered as I walked out of the elementary school doors. After another hectic summer, I was ready for the routine of another school year, and yet, I had found myself a bit apprehensive … Continue reading