Molly has exactly the same thing for breakfast every single day ("tella toast" - nutella on bread, that is not actually toasted, and apple juice). She doesn't eat the crusts but she does take great care to set them up neatly on her plate so they form the outline of the slice with the middle gone. Every day the same breakie, same ritual with the crust. And everyday I have to then wipe the nutella off her cheeks. For face wiping I have a charming stack of ancient baby facecloths some of which I think were actually from Gabriel's babyhood so let's just say they are well used. Anyway, all of this atmospheric set-up is actually leading to a point that has nothing to do with nutella or disintegrating face cloths (yay!). As I wiped Molly's face this morning it struck me that I really don't have to wipe Gabe's face much any more. He wants to do it himself and that's one more little tedious task of parenthood gone. And I was thinking about all the other mundane parts of being a parent that disappear into our rear view mirrors without a second look or thought. Some you never even notice they are gone. We remember the monumental baby to kid milestones (the last diaper, the last night in the crib) but many tasks and things start off as a big part of a parent's life and then...just kind of slip away...
I'm thinking of face/bum wiping, carrying a diaper bag, sippy cups, bottles and plastic dishes, stair gates, using a stroller, baby food, delightful word mispronunciations. I'm probably forgetting lots of things because, well, that's what this list is, the incidental, easily forgotten stuff.
Because Molly's only four some of those things still apply in our house though not for Gabriel. Can I remember the last time he used a sippy cup? Nope. I'm not sorry he's moved beyond these things but more than ever these days I feel like I'm very close to being out of a certain phase of parenting. All the special gizmos and gadgets for babies and toddlers are no longer relevant. Soon I won't need to go down the baby aisle in the grocery store. I notice Mums with older children and wonder if they remember what it's like to carry crackers and wipes in your purse. Do they remember the last time they had to help button their kid's jeans? I look at my kids and I realize that they are indeed kids; not babies, not toddlers. The drive for independence is finally somewhat matched by the ability to actually be independent.
I love watching my kids grow and I'm not really sentimental and wishing to hold on to the little kid years. But I am going to try and enjoy every part of parenting a 4-year old knowing that there are lots of little things that will soon be gone from my mummy repertoire. But though she says it with great flourish and panache, I shall not be at all sorry to never ever again hear the cry from the loo "buuuuuuuuuuuuuum wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiipe".
I laughed when I read about the facecloths - we have an ancient pile from Nathan's baby days that we still use to wipe Claire's face after meals! Although we are still in the midst of all of these tasks (especially with #3 on the way), I often think about this sort of the thing with Nathan. Great post!
ReplyDelete(I think I will get rid of our pile of facecloths and start a new one with Baby #3!)
I recently dug out a purse from the back of the closet I hadn't used in a couple of years and discovered it contained a well-flattened diaper and wipes. These days almost everything in my purse is exclusively for me. I didn't know if that day would hit before high school, but it has! Thanks for the blog! xo
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is time to write down some of those mis-pronunciations. They're worth holding onto!
ReplyDelete