You hear this from almost the minute your baby’s born:
“Enjoy every moment because before you know it, they will be grown and gone.” I
used to hate hearing that when my kids were little. It was almost always
well-intentioned older ladies who would utter those words. Yet even then I was sure
that they were speaking from personal experience, and I understood the painful
truth; I just didn’t want the reminder. As much as I tried to avoid thinking
about it, the inevitable has come true, and I am now the mother of four adults
and three more who will be soon.
Just yesterday, my oldest was building things with Legos; he
now lives in Argentina and we only get to see him once or twice a year. The
sister he used to tease by misbehaving in the historical plays she would put on
with her younger siblings is now in a PhD program six hours away by car. Even
though I’ve adjusted to the concept of my kids coming and going since the eldest
first went to college more than eight years ago, it still feels unnatural when
they say goodbye and leave.
