Saturday, August 15, 2009

The good old days

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic right now. As the new school year starts all around us, and I prepare to send a second child to college, I'm missing the days when I had four kids at home. There's nothing much more fun than being the unschooling mom of a bunch of curious kids.

I miss the "field trips" to the state park or forest preserve. (I put field trips in quotation marks because it wasn't anything organized. In the fall, especially, our life was one big field trip.) Taking two teens to walk at the park isn't nearly as entertaining as taking a crew of 4, 6, 9, & 13.

Don't get me wrong. There are wonderful things about this stage, too. I love to spend time with my grown and nearly-grown children. I'm sure that the excitement when Andrew has his braces removed next week will be something to remember. We have much deeper discussions than we could before, and each of them can cook dinner in a pinch.

But with the approach of fall, I hear echoes of those little voices, and would love--just for a moment--to go back and do it again.

6 comments:

Shan said...

Jane, you are MORE THAN WELCOME to take four OTHER little voices to the parks ANYTIME!!! ;) (or should I say, four other little people...not sure their voices are so little! ha!)

Laura said...

I hear ya, I really do! I miss those days and I loved those days! I like all the new things happening around here too...but it was so great to have all of us together all the time! It's nice I still have Benjamin visiting from time to time!

Emily said...

Your picture is priceless! I love the freedom that I have with my little ones at home now. But I also remember how much I LOVED going to college and starting classes every fall! I know the parents don't have as much to do in the college years but it is still a wonderful time of discovery and growth---and seeing your training pay off in a very different environment.

Debbie Theiss said...

Me too! :-)

Barb the Evil Genius said...

I would keep my kids at home forever only I remember how eagerly *I* looked forward to making my own life.

MLight said...

My 17 yo daughter just got her license and has been driving herself to ballet/hip hop camp this week - except on Monday because she was tired after a sleepover/party Saturday evening. I drove her to her camp, and we watched as the adorable little 4 yo's, dressed in their pink outfits, went in for their Princess camp. I asked her, "Could you be that age again, just for a minute?" She smiled back at me.