Well, it's 9:30 am and the house is quiet. No pattering of feet ... no Noggin or Nick Jr. blaring simultaneously from at least two TV's in the house. No slamming of the fridge or freezer door every few minutes. Wow.
This is weird.
Today is the first official day when all three of my children are at school. Ben and Brad went back in late August - but Mary just started back to preschool today. She dressed & fluffed in record time and then waited at the garage door with her backpack secured until Steve came down to take her. She kept looking up at me saying, "Today I go to school? Ohhh ... today I go to school!"
There is such a fine line between cheering for your children's milestones and curling up in a fetal position out of sadness that the milestones have arrived. It's like you feel both elated and deflated in one emotion. And the cycle continues until you reach the day that they fly out of the nest altogether and make their way into the world. Ahhh ... one of the many paradoxes of parenting.
So, today I am feeling both elated and deflated ... and I know that it's perfectly normal that I feel this way. The quiet is nice on one hand ... but on the other ...
Well, I guess when you come to these moments as parents, you have a choice to make. You can sit in the silence and feel sad ... or you can get up and make some noise of your own. My children are healthy, happy, and hopefully enjoying their mornings very much. So, while doing laundry, making beds, and packing up for our soon-to-begin house remodel, I think I will turn on at least two TV's ... blaring the Food Network ... and see what's in the fridge ... and freezer ... several times in a row.
Hey, we're all somebody's kid ... might as well take my turn before Mary gets out at 11:30!
Have your own great morning, friends.
This is weird.
Today is the first official day when all three of my children are at school. Ben and Brad went back in late August - but Mary just started back to preschool today. She dressed & fluffed in record time and then waited at the garage door with her backpack secured until Steve came down to take her. She kept looking up at me saying, "Today I go to school? Ohhh ... today I go to school!"
There is such a fine line between cheering for your children's milestones and curling up in a fetal position out of sadness that the milestones have arrived. It's like you feel both elated and deflated in one emotion. And the cycle continues until you reach the day that they fly out of the nest altogether and make their way into the world. Ahhh ... one of the many paradoxes of parenting.
So, today I am feeling both elated and deflated ... and I know that it's perfectly normal that I feel this way. The quiet is nice on one hand ... but on the other ...
Well, I guess when you come to these moments as parents, you have a choice to make. You can sit in the silence and feel sad ... or you can get up and make some noise of your own. My children are healthy, happy, and hopefully enjoying their mornings very much. So, while doing laundry, making beds, and packing up for our soon-to-begin house remodel, I think I will turn on at least two TV's ... blaring the Food Network ... and see what's in the fridge ... and freezer ... several times in a row.
Hey, we're all somebody's kid ... might as well take my turn before Mary gets out at 11:30!
Have your own great morning, friends.
Labels: children, empty nest, parenting, preschool
