Oh to be a Kid Again
You know what I miss? I miss being a little kid. I miss the simplicity of a life that didn't involve bills and taxes, or shredding and filing documents, or cooking and cleaning. I miss playing pretend for hours on end, swashbuckling neon swords against evil foes and drifting on rafts in the middle of the ocean and "camping" in tents in the living room during a thunderstorm. I miss being taken care of, and feeling safe because I could just cry it out, tell Mommy and Daddy, and know that they would fix whatever problems I had. And the magic of Christmas, seeing our home transformed into a beautiful red and gold paradise. And opening gifts on my birthday that really were a surprise. And daydreaming and drawing and spending hours with my nose in a book. Oh, how I miss the ignorant bliss that was my existence!
Those days were easy. The more I learn, however, and the older I get, the harder things seem to be. I think, therefore I worry ;)
Which is why I am so excited for two things: 1) my parents coming to stay for a full month, and 2) baby's arrival.
I will never stop being my parents' kid. And even though I'm quite advanced in age now (at least for a first time momma), my folks still want to take care of me like they did when I was 6. They want to cook for me, and help me with cleaning, and nurse me back to health when I'm sick (or post-partum). Heck, they even want to pay for me when we go out to eat (which is something I no longer allow them to do)! There is comfort in having my mom and dad around. And now that I am seeing what it looks like for them and my in-laws to have to care for their aging parents, I'm even more grateful for what precious years remain when they can still take care of me in this role as my mom and dad, and I don't yet have to care for them and make tough decisions on their behalf. Though it isn't quite the same as being a child again, there is still something incredibly reassuring about having my Mommy and Daddy around, especially as Hubbs and I enter into the "unknown" of parenthood ourselves.
It's also incredibly exciting to know that Hubbs & I will have a new little life to share ours with. Have you ever seen how a child experiences the world for the first time? It's magical. And euphoric. And delightful. The first taste of something. The first illumination of the Christmas tree. The first vacation adventure to distant lands. The "discovery" of anything new to a child brings such joy to those around them too, because it allows even the most hardened grown-up to experience the familiar in a whole new way. I can't wait to share in baby's experiences and reclaim some of my own innocence lost to the weeds and thorns of grown-up reality.
Sometimes I wish I could travel back in time for even just a day, but God's blessing of this baby and my parents in my life are evidences of His grace in helping me "be a kid again," even for just a short while. And I am ever so grateful.
Those days were easy. The more I learn, however, and the older I get, the harder things seem to be. I think, therefore I worry ;)
Which is why I am so excited for two things: 1) my parents coming to stay for a full month, and 2) baby's arrival.
I will never stop being my parents' kid. And even though I'm quite advanced in age now (at least for a first time momma), my folks still want to take care of me like they did when I was 6. They want to cook for me, and help me with cleaning, and nurse me back to health when I'm sick (or post-partum). Heck, they even want to pay for me when we go out to eat (which is something I no longer allow them to do)! There is comfort in having my mom and dad around. And now that I am seeing what it looks like for them and my in-laws to have to care for their aging parents, I'm even more grateful for what precious years remain when they can still take care of me in this role as my mom and dad, and I don't yet have to care for them and make tough decisions on their behalf. Though it isn't quite the same as being a child again, there is still something incredibly reassuring about having my Mommy and Daddy around, especially as Hubbs and I enter into the "unknown" of parenthood ourselves.
It's also incredibly exciting to know that Hubbs & I will have a new little life to share ours with. Have you ever seen how a child experiences the world for the first time? It's magical. And euphoric. And delightful. The first taste of something. The first illumination of the Christmas tree. The first vacation adventure to distant lands. The "discovery" of anything new to a child brings such joy to those around them too, because it allows even the most hardened grown-up to experience the familiar in a whole new way. I can't wait to share in baby's experiences and reclaim some of my own innocence lost to the weeds and thorns of grown-up reality.
Sometimes I wish I could travel back in time for even just a day, but God's blessing of this baby and my parents in my life are evidences of His grace in helping me "be a kid again," even for just a short while. And I am ever so grateful.
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