Perspective
"They grow up so fast" was told to me over and over again when my first child was still an infant. I heard it, but it didn’t sink in. It was my first time as a parent, and I was still adjusting to my life revolving around someone else and not myself.
People were right, however, and before I knew it, my older son WAS out the door and living on his own. I was sad, it was hard, but the adjustment was made. I turned my full focus to my younger son, who was born 11 years after his brother. He was a more active personality than his older bro, and there were "Those days" that seemed like they wouldn’t end soon enough. Time does an interesting trick; "Those days" can seem quite long, but the years are still passing incredibly fast. Even faster with the younger son. Empty nesters know exactly what I’m talking about, how the kids grow up all too soon. I’m grateful to have this perspective while my younger son is still at home. There’s certainly room for improvement, but I feel I’ve been more patient with him than I otherwise would have in some situations.
I once was waiting for my younger son to get out of class at the end of his school day. I was sitting outside his classroom where several other parents were gathered, also waiting for their kids. One dad was talking about how he almost wished he were divorced so that he could have the option of alternating weekends of childcare with his now-ex spouse, and have free weekends to himself. I remember thinking, "Don’t worry, you’ll have ‘em all to yourself soon enough".
