August Challenge - Question 4

It's the last day in August. The time has gone by pretty quickly, and now I have a chance to post the last of the August challenge questions for this month. Who knows, maybe I'll turn back and post some more thoughts in September. In the meantime, here is a question that pulled at my heartstrings.

I remember when my children were all little and I thought I'd never live through those days of constant demands and endless needs. Now I have no more preschoolers at my house! What stage of life are you in? Are you content or wishing it would end? Write about the view from where you are right now.

What I wouldn't give to have my kids little again! When my youngest was born, I had an infant, a 10 year old and an almost 13 year old. Different stages, different needs, but I loved being with each of them. There was much to be learned, by them and by me, about them and about myself.

Today, my oldest is 24 years old, my second is 21 and my "baby" is 11. The two older children are living on their own, going to school and learning to live apart from the family unit they've known all their lives. Only the youngest is with me. I believe God gave me my youngest child because He knew how difficult it would be for me to let go of 2 children at once. The pain was so intense I wanted to go to sleep and never awaken to it again. I thought sending my daughter away to college was hard; saying goodbye to the two of them at the same time was almost unbearable. If not for my little boy I might have crawled into a corner and bawled.

Am I content with this season in life? I don't know if content is the right word. I'm learning to accept that this is part of life, and that my children need to leave the nest just as I once did. I know I will be content at some point, but I'm not sure I'm there yet. Do I wish this season would end? No. Much as I would love to keep my children little and with me forever, I realize that just cannot be. They were given to me to raise into independent adults; if they stay with me forever, then I've failed as a parent. Only when they leave and show the maturity they've acquired can I know for sure I did the best job I could with them. Do I wish I could go back in time, even if just for one day, and have them little again? Oh boy, would I!!!