The one constant with kids is that they are always changing. Their likes. Their dislikes. Their interests. Their activities. Their abilities. Their independence. Their needs. Their wants. The beautifully bittersweet part of raising children is how quickly they grow and change. It's fun to watch the evolution and so humbling to be a part of. On the other hand, it can bring a twinge of sadness as I realize how quickly these years are speeding by.
We are entering a new phase as a family. It's wonderful and oh-so-fun and a little bittersweet at the same time. Briggs ditched the training wheels. He has proven himself a more than able hiker. We can walk or ride all over town without anyone falling behind. And so we realized that our trusty strollers that served us well for the past 9.5 years no longer have a useful place in our home. I wasn't sad about passing them along to others or having the extra space in our garage...until I began pushing my beloved double stroller across town to deliver it to its next owner. Pushing that double stroller brought back so many memories. I spent miles and miles, hours and hours pushing that stroller. It carried my toddler and my infant on so many walks around town when I was just learning to be a mom of 2. With Briggs strapped to me, I was the mom of three taking my kids to watch a college baseball practice or a high school track meet. It made so many trips back and forth to the school to drop off and pick up the girls. A tired Kindergartener often found their way into the stroller, too tired from the long day at school to walk all the way home. It forged a path through all the parks at Disney World, giving the kids a quick reprieve or a place to nap before heading off to the next fun thing. It was often loaded down with 3 kids and a bag full of books on our many trips to the library. It provided shade and shelter, comfort and convenience, and the primary way we made our way around town for years.
There are so many things I love about our family right at this very moment. I love that we can go on bike rides and hike and explore national parks. I love that my kids don't need constant supervision and can do things for themselves. I love that vacations are easier, meal times are easier, bedtime is easier. But part of me will always remember the feel of that stroller, weighed down with kids and their library books, knowing that wherever I was going, they were right there with me, along for the ride. They were safely in my care and there was comfort in that. And although I love the growing independence and this new phase as a family, part of me longs to hold onto those little kids who are just relying on me to take them where they need to go.
