It was brought to my attention by my now 8 year old daughter that she didn't think she needed a carseat anymore. The law in Pennsylvania is 8 years OR 80 pounds. Well, my daughter will probably be 80 pounds when she is 15! So, we compromised and I let her take the back off of her carseat and put it away to only be used on long trips (so she can rest her delicate head and sleep if she desires).
My kids are growing up. I miss having a baby around the house and a toddler to care for every day. I've traded all the dependence of babies and toddlers for independent school age kids. When I was growing up and dreaming about being a mom and having babies, I always imagined them as babies and toddlers. I would never imagine what life would be like once they were out of that stage. I guess I was afraid of what they would become or even that once they passed that toddler stage that life would be boring and uneventful. But just as much as I loved watching them learn to discover things in those first few years of life, I find this stage more meaningful as I can share and teach them based on my own experiences as a child. I can correct the things that were done to me as a child or the places that I thought my parents lacked in. I love relating to my kids at this level to say to them, 'yeah, my mom did that to me too!', or 'don't worry, I was the same way when I was little.' And just as much as I loved the look in my baby's eyes when they learned to roll over or walk, I love the look in my kids eyes when they realize they each have little traits of their parents.
My message to mom's of babies and toddlers - enjoy where you are today because soon, in the blink of an eye it seems, they will be school aged and have a whole new bag or worries and excitements! Enjoy being a mom!
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