Today my older son graduated from Kindergarten. I can't even believe it! I sat there in disbelief that he can possibly already be 6 1/2 years old and also 1/3 of the way to adulthood. It's a tough pill to swallow! I'm not super emotional, but yes, there were some tears.
I got to thinking. Yes, I will miss this. I will miss my kids being little. I will miss snuggles and innocent questions and the "darndest" things they say. I'll miss their endless imaginations, the random things I find in their pockets and the many "firsts". I'll miss dance parties, facial expressions, and bedtime.
But, I won't miss all of it. I won't miss 3 year old tantrums, potty training, diaper changes, constant spills, ALL THE BABY STUFF, interrupted sleep, constant reminders, outright defiance, outfit wars, repeating "eat your dinner" 1000x each night, delayed obedience, and difficult discipline.
Or will I?
Honestly, I'm not sure. As I'm turning the corner and (for now- we are praying to be blessed with more foster children) have no babies or young toddlers in my home, maybe I DO miss some of that. But that's because I'm not in that season. That's not my every day, every moment, and every second.
I absolutely know that every single day and moment and hour of motherhood cannot possibly be enjoyed. I have a feeling that I'll miss a lot of it, but not all of it.
Sometimes I think we're shamed into thinking that any moment we don't love makes us bad Moms. That's simply not true. A pastor once said that we often remember the highlight reel of our experiences. Maybe the well-meaning more seasoned moms are doing just that? They remember it was hard sometimes, but maybe not just HOW hard some moments can be when they are the day-in-day-out reality?
Here's what I do know. Being a Mom is one of the greatest blessings we will ever experience. I can think of nothing else that has grown my faith, strength, character, humility, or self-sacrifice more than motherhood.
We will miss this. We all will. But not all of it. Let's keep cheering one another on in the process!