Tuesday, August 7, 2012

the times, they are...

a changing.

it's the end of summer vacation. we are down to the last seven days.
and the excitement we felt at the beginning of summer vacation has dwindled.
there has been bickering. or should i say arguing.
or fighting would be a better description.
naw, it's more like puppies romping around...at least once a day.
usually involving some sort of growling or groveling amongst at least two,
if not all three of them.
then i usually get upset, which leads to me raising my voice.
which i absolutely hate to do.
and then someone ends up in timeout or a break to give sort of solace to everyone else in the household for a few precious moments.

yes, the joys of summer have wained with time.
it is time for school to start.
i can feel it.
and they can too.

don't get me wrong, this has been a great summer.
a summer filled with lots of adventures crossed off of our bucket list.
time spent at the pool and cheering at swim meets.
lots of smiles and joy watching countless innings of baseball.
and time just hanging on bridgeport.

slowly, the days are changing...
bedtimes are getting more stricter.
supply lists are being fulfilled.
teachers have been revealed.
football gear has been issued and practice is in full swing.
soccer practice is looming...

and i have come to the realization that on next tuesday morning,
i will drop all three boys off at school.
and for three precious hours, i can do whatever i want to or need to
ALONE!
well, unless my dad dreams up something for us to do!

it is a bit surreal.
sometimes i look at the boys and i remember when they came home from the hospital.
so little; needing us for everything.
then they hit a point around two, where they wanted to do everything themselves.
and at that very moment everything changed.
there is a quote that comes to mind...

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. 
It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. 
~Elizabeth Stone


as a parent, it is so difficult to let them be themselves...
to watch them make mistakes,
to help them work through disappointments,
to teach them how to deal with bullies,
to let them make their own decisions (and deal with the consequences),
to watch their hearts break,
to try to explain things that as an adult, i simply don't understand myself.
and to ultimately let them become the person they were born to be.

there are moments when i look at my boys with such pride.
they each have this genuine, deep-rooted ability to make everyone they're with happy
and feel like they are the most important person in their life,
unless you do something to tick them off, then all bets are off...
because they are magee boys, after all!

and that makes me smile.

happy last few days of summer!

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