Feb 01, 10
"Mom! Mom! Did you know that Pompeii is not only in our history cards? It’s also in Jack & Annie’s Magic Tree House. And we even have MORE books on it too?!"Mmmmmmmmmm. Really? That’s so cool! (Wonder how all of those interesting history-related resources got into the house, dearie bearie.
)(Not that I would ever say that.)
I just responded by saying, “Great! Tell me all about it.” And she did.
I have to say—I absolutely adored Sophia when she was a teeny tiny little newborn. And I loved and enjoyed her as a toddler and preschooler. But this “big (little) kid” age is tremendously interesting and enjoyable too.
Pretty much at every stage, Fred and I used to say, “This is SO great! This is the BEST stage.” But now we know that every stage is the best stage. And we’re blessed even to have just one more moment, one more day, one more experience with our little ones.
But oh! It’s HARD, isn’t it? Parenting, I mean.
Being a mother is beyond a doubt the hardest thing I have ever done. (And I would guess Fred would say the same about being a father.) I really hope I make it home tonight, not only to see them all—but to give Fred a rest. Being the sole parent for tiny kids, especially when one is sick, is not only physically exhausting, it is mentally exhausting. (What a great reminder to continue to pray for and look for ways to support our actively deployed military families and the single parents in our churches too. They do this month after month, year after year!)
We’re about to board, so I need to sign off. I’ll do so by saying that one of the FIRST thoughts I had as Sophie was so excited about Pompeii was actually, “I hope I didn’t drop a ball and leave something age INAPPROPRIATE in her reach.” Because when I was little (I’d guess it was right around 1978 ), we went and saw the Pompeii exhibit at The Art Institute in Chicago and OH MY STARS! It terrified me. I was WAY too young to see those images.
Thankfully, Sophie is learning about the destruction in abstraction. Plenty of life left for her to live and learn about this (and other) horrors at age-appropriate times.
Off to my tiny plane now—
Happy, blessed Monday to you,
Tara B.
Permalink Comments (5)
Amy A
Praying for protection and gentleness as you re-enter life at home and care for each other...
Feb 01, 10 @ 08:32:25
Tara B.
THANKS, Amy!
I just got off the phone with Fred and I said, “I can’t wait to climb into bed with you and the girls and just be together tonight!”
So of course he had to remind me that I land at 6:30 and he has to be at church at 7:00 for a deacon’s meeting. Whoops. Guess we’ll connect tomorrow, Lord willing ...
Thanks so much for the prayers!
Love you,
Tara B.
Feb 01, 10 @ 15:50:09
Kay
Tara, you and Fred are exactly right, every age is the BEST age! And this flight attendant single mom learned a lesson (even after many dozens of hours of reading out loud together over the years) about making sure to read WITH my Sophie when, about the same age as your Sophia, she read a book and wanted to tell me all about Pom-pee-eye. Pompeii will forever be Pom-pee-eye to me. Enjoy! Hope you’re home safe and sound and cuddled up. (I was worried about you being in SC with all the bad weather this weekend!)
Feb 01, 10 @ 20:08:01
Deb W
I prayed for you all this morning and hope that all went well finally on your flight back. Blessings in Christ.
Feb 02, 10 @ 05:03:03
Tara B.
Thanks for the good advice Kay! And the prayers, too, Deb!
Yours,
Tara B.
Feb 02, 10 @ 11:18:59
