The other day I was in Target and I heard a mom telling her little one “No, you need to hold your pee pee.  You can not go pee pee in your pants.  DO NOT go pee pee!!”  And I thought to myself “I don’t miss those days.”  Potty training, rushing to the nearest bathroom when the alarm has been raised and the toddler need to explore every bathroom from here to kingdom come is not something I can honestly say I miss.

But as I was thinking about life with my kiddos and realizing how quickly time has passed.  As we were sitting at brunch this morning, I realized we have just made some trade offs.

No, I don’t have to pump breast milk or buy can after can of formula but I see the tremendous amount of food that goes into feeding these behemoths.  Zach had two full meals at breakfast ~ TWO.  Lucas had three eggs, three pieces of bacon and four enormous pancakes.  Claire, well, luckily she had a normal meal.

No, I am not bound to the house by nap schedules but I am still bound to a schedule but now we call it a curfew.  It’s scarier now to think about “schedules” (aka curfews) and making sure the kids adhere to them.  If they ever miss curfew my concern would be exponentially greater than it was when I had to worry about a small child being grumpy from missing a nap.

No, I don’t have to worry much about kissing boo-boos and comforting a little one after a nightmare or a bad ear infection.  Now I see, looming in my future, a need to offer comfort in the wake of a broken heart.  Luckily, we haven’t had to go there yet and I’m really not looking forward to that road at all but it’s one we’ll go down, I am sure.  

There are trade-offs, to be sure…some good, some bad.  But all are a necessary part of raising kids and helping them to one day be able to fly on their own.  I have enjoyed each and every one of my kids’ stages in life.  I will continue to savor the time I have with them as I continue to ponder the trade-offs of kids getting bigger, older and more mature.

Oh, for the love of my children….