My photo
Wellington, New Zealand
welcome to my corner of the blog world! i love step, boxing, zumba, scrapbooking, photography, watching movies, walking the hills of my suburb, my family, and life in wellington. take some time to have a look around and be sure to say hi!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

WW: thoughts on a photo



when i look at this photo, i realise that a VERY specific, VERY busy time of my parenting experience, is over

it probably doesn't feel 'specific', in that i've been a parent for 22 years, but those early years of perpetual tiredness, noise, hands-on, messy, whiny, sleeplessness-ness...are over

as someone once said (and i wish i could remember who it was!)

...the days are long, but the years are short

and that is SO TRUE

my youngest child (that's her in the gold and purple sequins) is now 13
and at college (high school)

my eldest (that's her with her feet on the furniture), is 22 this year and living in a flat (luckily not far from home)

and i get to sleep through the night, and wake up on my own

when i look at this photo, i feel happiness not sadness, because i wouldn't change a thing.  really i wouldn't.  well, maybe that time miss 14 threw up on mr scrappy when we were on a boat, and the staff 'helpfully' brought him a serviette (napkin) to stem and flow and clean it up.

that i'd change

i'd have them bring him something more absorbent.

KIDDING!!!

of course there are things to miss:

tea parties with every soft toy and doll they own
that oh so wonderful imaginery play
dressing up (ok, they still do that)
afternoon naps.  ok, they still happen, but it's me doing the napping!

when i look at this picture, i think of the following things:

that miss 13 wasn't TOO COOL to sit with her little sisters (aged 5 and 6)
miss 14 still has 'hazel' (the grey and white bunny) - the white bits are now grey, but she's still around
the plastic shoe crate sitting just outside the door

the shoes my family wore aren't yet so big that a crate won't hold them...

that my girls don't drink out of and eat off plastic dinnerware anymore

when i look at this picture i wonder:

what will they remember?

what traditions will they carry on?

how will they remember their childhood?

how much will I remember!!!



Wordish WednesdayLive and Love...Out Loud    Better in Bulkand then, she {snapped}

8 comments:

Queenie Jeannie said...

Such a sweet picture and tribute! Your girls are very lucky indeed!!!

mandyb said...

Sue this is the most PERFECT post ever...i LOVE it...it is so real!!!! love all your memories!!!
and that picture!!!

auntiegwen said...

Oh I love it :) This year I was bought a photo calendar and all the pics in it were from their childhood. May is my son aged 5 and his sister aged 3 and a half (currently nearly 16 and 14 and 1/2) It's great to remember

cat said...

This is lump in the throat stuff! Gosh yes, they do grow up fast.

Grand Pooba said...

Awwww! She was and is still adorable!

Look at all the people she invited to her tea party? So dang cute!

Elizabeth said...

I never thought one day I'd remember all the plastic plates and cups they use at the table, but I'm sure I'll wax poetic about it at some point. But right now, it's a triumph to have everyone eating off non-plastic at the dinner table! Wahoo!

Claremont First Ward said...

I loved every part of this post except the part where it hit me that I feel the same way about some many parts of motherhood, and knowing what's to come makes me sad. The years are just flying by and the growth each year is astounding. XOXO.

Debbie @ OtRD said...

What a great moment you captured here!! Reminds me of when we were younger. Things have changed so much, but I love looking back and remembering those forts we built with the couch cushions and games we use to play.