I Blinked

Are my kids really 11, 10 and almost 9? Do I really have a child going into middle school and another into 4th grade and another into 3rd?

I changed my report card in two of those grades...shocking, I know.

Lots of pregnancies and babies being born all around me. I say the same thing to every expectant and every new parent, "It goes by so fast. Try to enjoy it." About a million people told me that, but I didn't get it. But now, I get it. Now I would go back and I would do things so very different. The things that mattered then, I realize now, don't really matter. And I wouldn't wish those tough preschool years away, but I would take more pictures and take more video and just spend more time hanging out as a family. Because in the blink of an eye and the snap of a finger, it's gone.

And now I have a son going into middle school. He's mowing the yard on a riding mower all on his own now. I looked at him the other day on that mower and thought, he'll be driving in no time. Where's the little guy that made strong man muscles with his arms? And where's the guy who liked for us to read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Goodnight Moon at least 10 times a day?

I blinked and it's gone.



And so I'm determined that somehow I'm going to slow down time. 7 years and Stephen will be leaving for college. Somehow I'm going to blink slower and savor those 7 more years even though they might be the 7 hardest that we've had yet.

And so my advice to you is to enjoy as many moments as you can. Take lots of pictures. Take lots of video. Love each other well and find times to just be a family. Because believe me, you'll blink and your one year old that doesn't sleep through the night will be heading to middle school. And you'll be restless and unable to sleep through the night because you just can't believe that he's almost 12 and heading to middle school and it seems like just yesterday that they put him in your arms.

Blink slowly if you can!