I vividly remember the day that my children were first able to get into the car by themselves, sit down, close the doors and buckle themselves in without my help. It was a landmark day that freed me like nothing else had ever done...before now.
I can count on one hand the number of times my children had a babysitter and as very small people, I didn't much let them out of my sight, even to stay with their grandparents. I felt the burden of motherhood to the point that I didn't want to interfere with other people's lives in order for me to have a moment without them. I felt like they were mine to look after and mine to discipline and mine to generally annoy. I have been very blessed and I'm so thankful that I was able to quit teaching and stay home with Pateriko until his sister was born, and then when I did have to go back to work, I was able to do so at home. I do NOT love my job, but I do love the perks of being at home.
Monday night, Dirty Larry and I attended a concert, sans kids and stayed out until the VERY LATE hour of 11:15 PM. It was pretty much a first for us because the kids were home ALONE. They ate, watched a movie and went to bed on time. I only got one text from Pateriko and it said that they were going to sleep. I admit that the den looked a little, um... "well used" when we got home, but it was another landmark day for me. I felt free to have fun without thosepesky brats precious babies tagging along. Then again on Saturday night, I got the urge to go run and Dirty Larry said he would go with me to the gym. I hesitated for a moment and then remembered that my kids were way old enough to stay alone for 30 minutes, even at night. It made me smile. There are so many reasons that I hate to see them grow up, and then there are those things that make me know that it's just time for that and I'm so proud of what they are becoming. I admit that most of the time the thought of them getting older and leaving and having lives of their own saddens me to the point of tears, but then there are days like today when I'm just thankful for a few moments of peace and the assurance that we've done a good job with them. They are really GOOD kids. Pretty soon, it's going to be out of our hands for good. I just hope they're prepared.
I can count on one hand the number of times my children had a babysitter and as very small people, I didn't much let them out of my sight, even to stay with their grandparents. I felt the burden of motherhood to the point that I didn't want to interfere with other people's lives in order for me to have a moment without them. I felt like they were mine to look after and mine to discipline and mine to generally annoy. I have been very blessed and I'm so thankful that I was able to quit teaching and stay home with Pateriko until his sister was born, and then when I did have to go back to work, I was able to do so at home. I do NOT love my job, but I do love the perks of being at home.
Monday night, Dirty Larry and I attended a concert, sans kids and stayed out until the VERY LATE hour of 11:15 PM. It was pretty much a first for us because the kids were home ALONE. They ate, watched a movie and went to bed on time. I only got one text from Pateriko and it said that they were going to sleep. I admit that the den looked a little, um... "well used" when we got home, but it was another landmark day for me. I felt free to have fun without those
8 comments:
So son is enlisting in the Navy on Tuesday and I still don't leave him home alone. It's because his mama contributed half of his DNA.
In other words, he just might be half stupid.
No offense to Phillip and Josh, but there is definitely something to be said for the "empty nest"!
Like yours, my kids, particularly Meego, have hardly any babysitter experience at all. Maybe because of that, I don't feel a need to get away from them. It's a spiral. Works in the other direction too.
Beej, your kids are just as gorgeous as you are.
What concert would pull away a hovering mom? Wait are you a hovering mom? Anyway must have been a good one to keep you up till early in the morn.
I have never been very comfortable with the whole babysitter thing.
When we visit out East I do let my daughter stay with the grandparents/aunts so i can go out with my sister or hubby for a while, But overall its a pretty rare thing to go out without her.
Next week, I drop her off at a movie theatre to see a Disney film with her brownie troop; she has a cell phone to call me when its over. Its sort of a *big deal* for me!
It does seem like children are on fast-forward- I don't think you ever lose the feeling of seeing them attemting to eat with a knife and fork for the first time- although, they are usually younger than 18.
Aww.
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