Time flies, they tell me...

Property of Jessica Gordon Ryan/ The Entertaining House

Another week has come and gone. And now, another summer has come and gone. It hardly seems possible. How does time fly by so quickly? What can we do to slow it down? This week officially marked the end of summer. Two of my children have returned to school. My youngest has entered the 2nd grade, and after a very tumultuous first year at his new school last year he seems to be adjusting well this year. Happy and eager. Loving his new teacher and his new friends. He's got his bounce back and I am thrilled. I have heard fabulous things about this teacher. Apparently she is the best of the best and has won all sorts of awards. But what matters most, of course, is that he seems to love her. In my book, that matters more than any award. My middle child doesn't start school until next week. (Oh Lordy, what do I do with him until then?!) And my daughter, my firstborn, who's had such a difficult couple of years both at school and on the home front seems to be adjusting marvelously to her new much larger, much scarier, much more daunting new digs - high school! She's already made a few friends and she seems to be learning the lay of the land... She's only gotten lost once, I think.

And so it all came or went. Without pomp and circumstance. No grand entrances. No parades. No welcoming teas for parents. My ex husband took my son to his elementary school, dropped him off by the entrance and then took off for work. I drove my daughter to the bus stop at 6:45 and waited with her - nervously - the both of us- until she boarded the buss and drove off into the distance. Just like that. Much ado about nothing. No pomp and circumstances. No more walking toddlers into their classes... no more leaving in tears, both mother and child, no more warm words from loving and sympathetic teachers. The kids are growing. Much too quickly.

I used to imagine what it would be like to have a daughter in college. I remember wondering this all when she was still in diapers and not yet in school. When she screamed from colic and reflux and refused to let me sleep. When she danced in tu-tus and threw tea parties with her teddy bears.. when she read to her dolls... when she ran through the house naked because all little children love to... when she drew me marvelous pictures... when Madeline was her favorite doll... her obsession her everything... when she'd play house and kitchen and restaurant... when she lovingly took care of her baby brother, and another baby brother... when she ran over to me crying one evening declaring that she was never ever ever going to go to college because she would miss me too much... It all seems like such a long time ago. There were long and trying days that seemed never to end... when I couldn't wait until the end of the day to just pass the child, the children off to their father for a few minutes... when the crying and the tantrums would never end... when I wondered why I had decided to stay home and thought that I was not cut out for it... The days cooped up indoors during the long, cold winter days when sickness ran rampant and I thought I would never again catch a break... Those distant days... distant memories... The long summer days spent at the beach and at the playground... when sand and water and playground equipment was all we needed... and we'd stay out through dinnertime with our friends and later on the husbands would join us toting wine and beer and pizzas... and we'd shower the kids off at the beach and toss them into their pajamas and they'd pass out in the car and we'd all breath deeps sighs of relief... The easy days of childhood... the impossibly long and hard days of childhood - they're all behind me now, just like that.

Time will fly, they all told me. I smiled politely.
Time did fly, I tell myself... I cry tears... some of joy and some of sadness... in remembrance of things past... in remembrance of the better days... and for shattered dreams ... We do the very best that we can with the tools we are given. Once upon a time I had a little girl. Then I had a little girl and a little boy. And then I had a daughter and two sons. Once upon a time I had three children 6 and under. Now I have a high schooler, another in middle school and my baby still in elementary school.

Time will fly, I tell myself. I cry silent tears.
In 4 years I will have only two at home. One in college, one in high school and one in middle school.
In 6 years I will have only left at home with me... I am not ready for that.

Time does fly.
I'd like to slow it down now, please....

As your children run through the house this long weekend, stop them, hug them and kiss them... then you can set them free again.

XOXO,

Jessica