Milestones

It is a week of milestones at my house.  This week, my son has begun learning to walk, and my daughter has learned to ride her bicycle without the training wheels.  Wow!  The time sure does fly by.  As I cheer on my children and burst with pride each time they get up and try again after falling, I can't help but but feel wistful.  I want them to grow and learn and try new things as they move into new stages of their lives, but I will also miss the stages they are leaving behind.

I had the thought that I need to video Seth crawling down the hall, playing "chase" before he stops doing it altogether.  Soon, he will master walking, and not resort to crawling to get to his destination.  I need to get pictures of Brenna before she isn't so little anymore.  She is already so much her own person, and seems to NEED me less and less each day.

As a parent, these moves toward independence are wonderfully scary.  They show that I am doing something right, but did I do enough?  In reality, I don't think it is their preparedness that is the problem, but mine.  I want to cling to what is known.  I just started mastering the stages they are leaving, and now I have to start all over again!

Another milestone that I'll reach this year is my 10 year wedding anniversary.  I am lucky that I am not facing all these transitions alone - I have so many friends who are.  I have been blessed with someone who loves these kids every bit as much as I do.  He is their helper and cheerleader, too.  And he'll miss these days as much as I will when they are past.  Lord willing, we will still have each other and all these great memories to share.

So I guess I'll just sit back and watch my children continue the journey to becoming the individuals they were meant to be, and be thankful that I was allowed to be a part of the journey.