Growing up too fast!!!

My daughter, The Divine Miss M, is nine years old.  Her brother, Little Man, just turned eight.  Time.  It moves quickly.  I feel like it was only days ago that I was that age, kneeling in the driveway, taking apart my Huffy bike, while I sang along to "Like a Virgin" and thinking that was so risqué!  Now, I'm sitting here in my living room, relishing the quiet that only comes post-bedtime, wondering if I would ever get back up again from that kneeling position if I tried that now.

Yes, time moves quickly.  My children are no longer the big eyed, toothless, chubby little babies they were.  Nope.  My kids are tall, gangly, with mouths filled with a mixture of baby and adult teeth.  They have interests and ideas separate from anything I ever taught them, friends I've only heard about, and huge portions of their days that they never share with me at the dinner table.

It's hard to watch them grow up.  I see them pulling away from me, wanting to explore their world without the presence of "mom" lingering on the sidelines.  I see bad decisions, heartache, and heartbreak in their futures and a piece of me hurts because of that.

It's exciting to watch them grow up.  I see them making a place for themselves in the world, using the tools I gave them- respect, determination, confidence, loyalty, honesty- to forge their paths.  I see hard work, romance, and endless possibilities in their futures and the rest of me if overjoyed because of that.

This is the last year I'll have with my daughter before she hits double digits, the last summer before my babies are both in the 'upper wing" at their school.  It's also the first year I've let her have a sleepover at a friend's house, the first summer I've let them play outside without adult supervision.

I know the days of my childhood are over, but that doesn't mean I can't share them with my kids.  I don't have that huffy bike anymore, and I know kneeling anywhere is a bad idea, but I do have "Like a Virgin" and a warm summer night to go make some memories with my kids.  Who knows?  Maybe one night, years from now, they'll wax poetic about how fast their kids are growing.  Maybe...but not yet!