Parenting and getting older..my view today

Parenting and getting older.
It really hit me yesterday. Getting old is scarey! I was so happy when I sent my daughter off to 10th grade yesterday. That is, until she got home and told me that her first class this year is DRIVER'S ED! Oh,no! Not my baby. Behind the wheel? Hello? She still watches the Disney Channel. Scarier yet, I am going to have to actually SIT in a car with her soon. While SHE is driving. No one told me about this. They sure should have a parent manual.

Kids grow up so fast. It seems like yesterday, I was a struggling single parent, just trying to make ends meet. I was changing diapers. Giving Baths. Tying shoes. School shopping for crayons.Working 2 jobs. Here it is, years later. I married an absolutely wonderful human being who treats my kids as his own. No questions asked. We have a beautiful home. Nice cars. A motorcycle. Great Family.

Instead of tying shoes, I have to hide mine, so my teenager does not take them without asking and wears them to school. Instead of crayons, I am buying black eyeliner. Instead of giving baths, I am yelling for them to get out of the shower because they have been in there so long they are going to shrivel up. WHAT do they DO in there all that time anyway?

So, I have come to the conclusion that getting old sucks. Not because of age, but because in the grand scheme of things, you MISS out on so much of your children's lives and do not even realize it, until that time is gone. Gone are the days of teaching them to ride a bicycle and making sure that they are properly geared. Helmet, knee and elbow pads. Here is the time to prepare them for life. Replacing that bike is a vehicle with four wheels. No helmet, no elbow and knee pads. Just alot of patience and a whole lot of prayers.

So, my thought for the day is this....take the time with your children and remember every detail. From the tantrums, to the girly drama, to the boo boos. Let them know you love them every single day that goes by. Before you know it, they are teenagers and beginning on their own adventures in life.