Tag: kids

I Never Knew..

I Never Knew..

by dmoss2 ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I never knew how hard motherhood would be.

It’s hard. Really hard.

When your baby is sick, you feel helpless. You want to fix it, and most times you can. A visit to the pediatrician, some extra love…

When your toddler gets hurt, you feel helpless. You want to fix it, and again, most times you can. Sometimes just a bandaid and a kiss is all it takes.

Sometimes you can’t fix it. Not completely. Those times weigh heavy on your heart. Motherhood sometimes feels impossible.

You think when they are older, motherhood will get easier. You are a fool.

Motherhood never gets easier.

When your kids are older, well…these are the times that will literally bring you to your knees.

Every hurt, every heartbreak, every disappointment hits you square in the heart. You feel it all. When they are stressed, you wake up with a heaviness on your chest that won’t let up.

Is it just me? Am I different than other moms? I don’t know, though I don’t think so.

You love beyond measure so you feel it all….way too much? Is that it? You pray constantly for them. For God to keep them safe, to look out for them when you can’t.

Motherhood is hard. So incredibly hard.

I never knew…

The Children’s Place

The Children’s Place

by dmoss2 ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Earlier today, I went to the local mall with my two daughters, aged 28 and 22. While waiting outside one of the stores for them, I found myself directly across from a store that was a huge part of their childhood: The Children’s Place. I just stood there staring for what seemed like forever, eyes tearing up…..

Yes, I know it is just a children’s clothing store, but to me it’s more than that. It’s what that store represents…..my littles, and how much I miss them.

I first started going to that store when my oldest was a baby. That’s 28 years ago. That girl had more clothes than anyone I know. You see, my mother in law and I would go shopping there together. When we found an outfit we liked and we couldn’t decide on what color to get, we would usually get all of them. If it came in four colors, she would pay for two and I would pay for two. And when I say outfit, I mean soup to nuts. Everything had to match: tops, bottoms, socks, headband….

When she started preschool, the teacher told me they couldn’t wait to see what she would be wearing each day she came to school because she was always so color coordinated. My husband would complain that he was paying rent to The Children’s Place each month, but then he’d always acknowledge how adorable she looked every day.

My son didn’t wear as much from that store. I liked the boy clothes better at Gap Kids for him. My youngest daughter – oh my goodness – the stuff I bought for her from there. So so cute. Once again, the rent was being paid each month, but boy did she look beautiful. Always.

Now, I’m not saying that I didn’t buy them clothing anywhere else. I certainly did. But for some reason, seeing those giant letters right in front of me today took my breath away. I was currently at the mall with my two best friends in the world (even though they might be a little mean to me sometimes, lol), and yet I was missing the beautiful babies and little girls they used to be. It was strange and a little sad.

One day, you are buying their little clothes and dressing them. Then you blink and they are buying their own clothes and “adulting” all over the place. Why did I blink? I shouldn’t have blinked. I wish I didn’t blink…..

For What It’s Worth..

For What It’s Worth..

by dmoss2 ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Advice to young moms, from an old mom…

Being a mom is the hardest thing you will ever do…be gentle with yourself. There will be days where you will think – ok, I got this. There will be days when you get into bed at night and think – what the hell was THAT?!

You can’t possibly do it all – the laundry, that is. There might be 10 minutes where your laundry is all done, folded and put away. 10 minutes. If you’re lucky. And you’ll feel invincible for those 10 minutes, until, suddenly, someone pukes or a diaper explodes…

They will tell you to sleep when the baby sleeps. Hilarious. That would have been lovely. I cleaned when the baby slept. Sometimes I would clean at night, when the baby slept. I’d do anything to have that kind of energy now! Oddly enough, my house was the cleanest it’s ever been when my kids were little. Now? Not so much. I was eventually defeated by 3 kids and 4 dogs and a full-time job. I gave up that fight…

When your kids start sports, dance, karate, etc., you will become a chauffeur. You will be their biggest cheerleader. You might, like me, be that crazy lady screaming on the sidelines, much to your own surprise. You will be exhausted. So so exhausted. You will dream of the day when things slow down and you don’t have to drive all over to watch your kids play whatever sport is in season or this year’s dance rehearsals and recitals. But….. you will miss it. You will miss it all. Believe me when I tell you this. It may be hard to believe when you are in the thick of it, but… You. Will. Miss. It.

When your kid gets her license and drives away alone for the first time, your heart will literally stop until they let you know they have arrived safely. This is true with each kid, if you have more than one. Same feeling, each time.

Oh my goodness, when that first kid leaves for college, you will feel, well, a lot of things. Excitement, terror, sadness, pride. All at once and at levels you cannot imagine. The dynamic in your house changes. It just does. Some people will not feel the same as you do, and that’s ok. Remember that.

My kids are all in their 20’s now. All doing their thing, making things happen, working on their goals. They are amazing people, making us proud every day. They love each other and seek each other out to spend time together, which means we have had success as parents. That is an amazing feeling, and yet….. this old mom would go back to the beginning in a heartbeat to do it all over again.

So, for what it’s worth, savor it all. The good, the bad and the ugly, because in reality, it is all beautiful.

Until next time…