A lot of circumstances have been coming together lately that have me mulling over how quickly our babes grow up - a friend living in the "full on" stage of mothering (she is attachment parenting twins and not getting much sleep) that I remember so well it seems as though it was yesterday; another friend who will soon be welcoming her new baby into her family life that already includes two lovely little ones; some drawn out health issues that have necessitated even more independence on my boys' parts; the realization that my first born is entering a new stage of his life (a teen) and that I will soon be learning new mothering lessons and the realization that my "baby" is getting Huge! and no where near a baby anymore.
It seems that most everything in my life right now makes me think of "those mothering years", the ones from birth until about 6 years of age, when things are so completely absorbing that I didn't have time to think of anything else. I look at the tire swing and think of all the games that the boys made up that revolved around an old tire. I look under the plum tree where the sand box sat for 8 years until last year they sold it at a garage sale because they didn't use it anymore. A trampoline has replaced the swing set that my little ones played on for many years and the Tonka trucks sit mostly unused in the playhouse. When I look out my kitchen window at the walnut tree I think about all the hot summer afternoons when we sat on a blanket and read together.
This year is the first time in 9 years that we have not had a bean teepee in our garden...and it makes me sad. E decided that this year he would have a sunflower house instead so when I saw the book Sunflower House at the library I brought it home for us to read. It was lovely. And it reminded me even more how quickly time passes. I look at each mudpie he makes and wonder how many more there will be.
I guess even though I always knew how quickly this time would pass I still find myself surprised at how quickly it did pass, especially since they have always learned at home and I have always been with them. I can't imagine how I would feel if they were away for most the day. So, for now I will continue to enjoy my days with them, I will work to be even more fully in the present with them and ...
I will stop and watch and smile every time I see this.
5 comments:
Heather, I feel a quiet peace and joy whenever I read through your entries. Keep up the simple, meaningful things that really matter.
Please go to your library and check out my book Sunflower Houses, which was written in 1991 and has been used as a guide for hundreds articles, books, and magazine articles, and thousands of children and families who build these special playhouses. My book Roots Shoots Buckets & Boots also has directions for a more complex house.
I've received hundreds of photos from readers who have loved every minute of their family time in their special playhouse.
Continued joy to you and yours,
Sharon Lovejoy
Thanks so much for your comment, Sharon. What fun to hear from you, it was actually from your Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots book that we first got the idea for the sunflower house. My son had big plans to have Grandpa Ott morning glories and yard long beans growing up it but he didn't get to that part, so for this year he will just enjoy a plain old sunflower house. ;-)
We love your book. To me, there is nothing more important than for kids to feel connected to nature and your book has great ideas for making that happen in a meaningful, simple and fun way. Thank you. I'll have to be sure to take some photos of my boys in their sunflower house.
Thanks for this one, Heather. As the mother of two boys just a little farther along the road to independence (15 and 13 years old), I feel much the same. It is so easy to get caught up in the daily demands of living and miss out on the best bits of life. I am a single parent and wasn't able to homeschool, though I always wished I could. I do try to enjoy the here and now with them as much as I can. Haven't quite brought myself to getting rid of the swingset yet - though I know I should.
Oh Heather, this post made me cry and cry. What a beautiful reminder to be fully present every precious moment we have...
Thanks for your comment, Muddy. Yes, it really is so easy to get caught up in those daily demands. When my oldest was a toddler I adopted the motto - Have Less, Do More (as in do more fun stuff - not do more work ) - and I find I am always working to keep that balance. I think just the fact that we are even reflecting on these things means that we are doing pretty well.
You know, you could always keep that swingset for grandkids. ;-)
Thanks, Mary-Sue, and you are so blessed as to get to start on a new journey with your brand new baby H and enjoy it all once more.
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