Summer is nearly over, the time has come for my littles to return to a routine and some form of normalcy. I can hardly recall what it’s like to wake up before the sun, pack lunches, braid hair and load them into the car. And yet, here we are, about to do it all over again, and for some, the first time.
I feel almost guilty, not for wishing them away on the days they were relentless, but possibly for not soaking them up enough this Summer. I know that we moved and a lot of changes happened, but still I cant shake it.
Why did I insist on making them play together for entertainment, why did I need to clean my house and do laundry when I could have been cuddling them all the day long?
I’m not completely sure, but I am sure that I didn’t loose my mind entertaining them. I am also sure, more than anything that they became closer as friends and sisters. I watched them problem solve, and argue, and blossom into functioning tiny humans. I saw them play with tiny toys while laying on their bellies, I witnessed them cuddling one another without my coaxing, and kiss one another’s boo boos, all on their own.
My oldest changed her first baby diaper, and she was proud. My middle child can put her own shoes on and my baby, well she’s a child now. They played in the water and in the sun, and they did it together.
This Summer wasn’t all about me spending time with them, it was about allowing them to bond with one another, to learn and grow together. Sometimes it is important to take a step back and let them learn, and fall, and rise again.
This Summer, they’ve grown, but I suppose I have as well. I’ll watch their faces when I wave goodbye to each one of them, and I’ll patiently await the moment when I get to cradle their faces again.
Happy Back to School Mamas!
