Making memories...
Today on the bus with LP on my lap, an elderly woman said to me, "A woman can live to be about 80 years old or so and we only have our children for such a short time."
We just had 2 more stops to go when she said this but in those few blocks she also shared that when "they go away from you, they do come back again"…and that "the best is being a grandparent." (when she said "grandparent" her whole face lit up...I look forward to the grandparent experience someday!)
I find that thing everyone says about "it goes so fast" is completely true (in the big picture, I still find individual moments or minutes can take forever). LP is three and bounding forward in her knowledge and abilities every day. Whoosh!
It often crosses my mind the memories I am creating for LP; what I don't often think about is the memories I am creating for me. Memories to stand out from the moments of tedium and times of tantrums.
So from our recent days, I hope that we will both remember:
• porcupine stew (crackers with butter and dried lentils)
• gardening in the rain
• walking with shaving cream "penguin feet"
• creating a costume out of pipe cleaners complete with tiara, earrings, glasses, necklace, dressing gown, belt with a ponytail and anklets
• sharing flower "ice cream cones"
And the one that's just for my mind's eye…the sweet sight of LP sleeping.
This post is part of the 30 Minute Blog Challenge over at SteadyMom.
We just had 2 more stops to go when she said this but in those few blocks she also shared that when "they go away from you, they do come back again"…and that "the best is being a grandparent." (when she said "grandparent" her whole face lit up...I look forward to the grandparent experience someday!)
I find that thing everyone says about "it goes so fast" is completely true (in the big picture, I still find individual moments or minutes can take forever). LP is three and bounding forward in her knowledge and abilities every day. Whoosh!
It often crosses my mind the memories I am creating for LP; what I don't often think about is the memories I am creating for me. Memories to stand out from the moments of tedium and times of tantrums.
So from our recent days, I hope that we will both remember:
• porcupine stew (crackers with butter and dried lentils)
• gardening in the rain
• walking with shaving cream "penguin feet"
• creating a costume out of pipe cleaners complete with tiara, earrings, glasses, necklace, dressing gown, belt with a ponytail and anklets
• sharing flower "ice cream cones"
And the one that's just for my mind's eye…the sweet sight of LP sleeping.
This post is part of the 30 Minute Blog Challenge over at SteadyMom.
posted by Susan at
7:07 PM
6 Comments:
You may not remember it, but hooray for having written it down -- you can come back to this post whenever you want (or print it out for a scrapbook) and delight in the memory. My kids love it when I read to them scraps of their silliest history.
Here's to the moments!
Funny thing is I don't think we remember the details but we do remember the feeling of being surrounded by lovingness!!! I am just realizing how short their time is - my oldest is twelve and it has been a blink. Half that time again and he will be off to college... dreadful!!!
Those comments from older adults always choke me up! We volunteer at an assisted living home, and I'll never forget the first time we brought the kids through for a tour. A very sweet, very old man who loved the kids repeatedly told us "Don't waste a minute!" It has really stuck with me. We have them for so short a time!
Hannah...yes indeed! I'm so glad to have this blog as a record bc I am terrible about recording these moments in any other form.
se7en - yes and well said...I've often thought that more than individual moments or hours, at the end of the day, I want LP to feel well-loved. I know I had that sense from my mom and it certainly helped me thru tough times.
Jaimie - me too. Before LP, I was Activity Director at a senior day program and before we moved, I would bring her to visit them a couple times a month. Truly I think their interactions with her were more therapeutic than any other of the activites and therapies we used. Here's to enjoying this precious time we've got!
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