Friday, March 8, 2013

Growing Up



I've felt out of the cave of the early years of parenting for a while now, and I must say it is quite glorious!  I don't need a daily nap.  I feel like I get good time to myself, since my boys play pretty well together, and I haven't purchased diapers for over a year. Everyone is able to communicate in English what they need and want, and we are out of the temper tantrum stage.  (No one does the stop-drop-and-roll in grocerry stores.)  I'm counting this as a parenting victory, but it is also a sign of growing up.

The other day I realized that it had been months, maybe a year, since we had a little boy climb into our bed, snuggle down, and fall asleep for some good, early-morning-snuggle.  Those early mornings were anticipated and dreaded.  I never slept very good after one, two, or three little boys tumble in, but there was also something special about it.  Sadly, I forgot to be attentive to its end.  And truthfully although it caused me to be a bit nastalgic, I'm OK with it being over.

My oldest turns eight tomorrow.  Last night after his bath I placed a towell around his shoulder,s like we've been doing since his birth, and he made a request he hadn't made for some time now, "Can you carry me like a baby?"  Perhaps he senses that this request will soon be impossible.  He's much heavier and longer now, but I scooped him up in my arms, kissed his cheeks, and said, "I'm carrying you like a baby!"  We laughed.  It was our moment.

I think that I can officially state that the "short years" are over.  I wonder if my writing friend, Jen Rouse, feels the same.  She has a blog called The Short Years.  Does she feel like she needs to start another blog for the next stage?  The Middle Years?  The Crazy Years?  The Kid Years?  The Years When Our Kids Still Like Us?  That seems to be the years we are in.  We all like each other.  C announced with pure joy, "I really like A. He's fun to play with."  This pleases Dad and Mom much.  The older boys didn't always view A as an equal play partner, but now that he's a boy, he's in!  B even stated, "Yeah A even comes up with good ideas when we are playing."  Love it.

The Schneiter Boys seem to be right in the perfect middle of development.  They still play imaginary games, still play with trucks outside, but they also ride bikes, create forts, go on frog hunts, watch soccer with daddy, are learning to play the piano, are on sport teams, know how to swim, can make their own snacks, plan their own birthday parties, research toy purchases and save up....and find no interest in the opposite sex!  Love this part.  I'm hoping they are late bloomers and wake up to the beauty of girls later than earlier.  I have a feeling when this hits, Mom and Dad won't be so cool anymore, and we will be entering a new phase: The Give-Me-Space-Stage.  I'm not ready for that one yet.




3 comments:

Heather said...

I know that feeling, that you missed something and you didn't even realize it. I have days that I want some of that back as the days are now flying by and I don't ever feel like I have enough time for my boys. I wouldn't trade where they are now though for anything.

I realized the other day that Conner would be leaving for college in 7 short years...then I cried. I remember when I wished the days away when they were being naughty, now I want those days back - just without the naughty, diapers and bottles.

Jen Rouse said...

Lately I HAVE been wondering if I need a new title for my blog! I have had such a hard time finding time for it, because as much as I hate to admit it, I feel like those short, early years really are over. Now I'm in a new phase, and finding it hard to balance all I really want to do. I wouldn't go back, though! I'm loving the capabilities of my girls, and how proud I am of them, and how much fun they really are to be around, way too much to trade it back.

Michelle said...

Sometimes I wish time was on a sliding scale: when the diapers were too much I wanted to slide forward a few years and see the kids at an older (easier!) stage in life. Now that they are older, getting college acceptance letters and drivers licences, I want to slide back, and see those wonderful mischievous monkeys breaking eggs and flushing underwear down the toilet, just to remind me of what it was really like!