Camp fire
The lodge where we stayed would leave us wood and kindling every evening so we could have a camp fire. The kids LOVED this. I look at these pics and see my family, cozy and alone together. I love my family alone together. No phones. No X-box. No neighbors. No one but the 6 of us. Heaven.
The kids talked, explored, and ran wild together. Even Cory, the almost 15yo who rarely interacts with his brothers these days, bonded with them again and they were amazing together.
You know what part they don’t tell you about when raising these kids? I’ll tell you. It is that one day, too soon I might add, they pull away. Not in the weird, “I am Emo and I must wear all black” pull away. But the subtle loss that happens when they shed their childhood, like a skin they just step out of because it was too small. What comes forth is a new person, and because you were not paying as close attention as you might have if you didn’t have 3 other kids, you jerk your head up and are startled and pained a bit by the loss of that little boy. I mean, really pained. He is gone. Poof. And in his place is a man. You didn’t see it coming, because you did the unthinkable…..
You blinked.
Love the post! i still remember clearly that little blonde-haired boy toddling about. It does happen in the blink of an eye.
I have said and wrote this many times: In the blink of an eye, my boy will be grown- guess I better stop blinking.
Peace.
And don’t blink anymore.
Oh boy do I feel your pain!!! My son is a Sr. in high school this year and will be turning 18 in December. Where did my sweet 5# 3 oz new born go? Thank GOD he has understood that I still need to hug and kiss him and he lets me!
I’m so blessed. Don’t get me wrong he still wants his room to grow and spread his wings. It is exciting to see him grow to be a man but also sad inthat you lose your baby boy. I could cry thinking about him going off to college next year.
Hang in there.
Oh you are so right! Once again you made me cry with your right-on-target words and your rich photos. I too have one of these newly emerged 14yr olds, and I blinked. We homeschooled, and our family is close – friends used to be amazed at how my son would still hold my hand or his dad’s hand long after their own sons had decided that was not cool. But sooner or later it happens, and everyone must blink. I’m glad it happened a little later for us, and I am so proud of the young man that is emerging, but my heart aches for those carefree days when he sat in my lap and held my hand. And I so know what you mean about the best times being the times that your family is alone together. It’s the same for us.
Thank you, once again. You see so much more clearly that many of us, and by sharing, you help us see more clearly too!
You know, Jodi, posts like this make it very hard to maintain my denial that all this is coming my way, sooner rather than later.
And it doesn’t get any easier the next time, or the next either. I’m predicting it’ll senak up on me the 7th time too.
I love this post. Would you mind if I posted a link to it on my Facebook? I have many friends who would love what you said.
And I have a fourteen year old daughter and I have felt, just in the past few months, the beginnings of the separation. Some days I handle it better than others but each day is a gift!
This brought tears to my eyes. It was sad enough for me just to move my baby from his bassinet upstairs to his crib. I’d pry my eyes open with toothpicks if I thought it would make any difference. But my mother told me just the other day “Many women have tried to keep their babies little, but none of them have succeeded”. It’s inevitable, I know, but seems like it makes your heart break, a little.