Thoughts on Mothering

Yesterday we celebrated our first born's 3rd birthday. And now I am going to go and get all emotional, sappy, mommy on all of you as I try to put into words what this day meant to me. I don't often have that feeling that I hear other mothers talking about. That feeling of not wanting their babies to grow up. Instead I tend to embrace their growing independence and enjoy watching them enter the next stage of their lives. Yesterday, however, I caught a glimpse of what they must feel. There was just something about Peachy turning three. Maybe it is because this is the age I used to teach. Peachy could now be one of the preschoolers that I taught. It might also be because this is the age where they really can be more independent of their parents. So many activities for children become parent-free at the age of three. You just drop your child off and they do their thing while you do yours.
And so, last night I sat and watched Peachy playing with some of her gifts and had tears in my eyes and a different feeling in my heart. I thought of how she is growing and maturing and how I won't be able to always keep her close and shield her from the hurts in the world. Of how this is the start to her experiencing new adventures in her life that I won't always be a part of. I caught just a glimpse of sending her off to her first day of kindergarten, watching her ride her bike away to a friend's house, kissing her good-bye as she ventures off into the world on her own.
And that, my friends, is what being a parent is really all about. The Lord entrusts these little ones into our care to nurture and guide, to equip them for the road ahead, and then let them go. It really does strengthen my resolve to be the best parent I can be for my girls now so that one day I can let them go with the full knowledge that they are prepared for what the world will bring them.
More on Peachy, her birthday, and what else we have been up to later.