Parenting is a lot like taking a really long trip. I’ve heard plenty of sojourners complain about their current landscape, wishing to hasten the next leg of the journey. Some dream of getting a full night’s sleep, while others imagine the glory of life after potty training. I’ve shared coffee with moms who were anxious to get the little one into preschool, providing a much-needed break from the rigorous but often monotonous routine of motherhood. Some of my “mom” friends could not wait until their kids were able to complete homework assignments without any assistance. [Truth be told, with the introduction of Common Core, we all felt that way].
For some, those elementary years seemed to drag along slowly…a bit like traveling the East Texas highways littered with small towns and speed traps. Just when you’re ready to set that cruise control and hurry along to your destination, yet another town appears on the horizon—will they ever make it to middle school?
Oh, those middle school years—how they’ve caused many a mother to repent of her disdain for the drudgery of elementary school—or yearn for the arrival of high school, where the driver’s license bestows a coveted freedom from the craziness of the carpool line. Although it’s rare, I have known mothers who were anxious to enjoy the luxuries afforded to those whose nest is empty. But not me!
I have LOVED each new phase of this blessed journey and have squeezed every ounce of joy from a treasured moment before leaving it in the dust. I don’t recall a single time that I wished to be further down the road, nor do I remember longing to go back and repeat a chapter. So, I was not adequately prepared for this present season—when I would move my daughter into her own home and drop my son off at college…all within a couple of months. I cannot say that I am a fan of the empty nest—at least not today.
For the first time in my parenting journey, I long to go back…to retrace some steps and linger there a little while longer. Oh, to set the table for four instead of two; to wait up till all hours of the night to be sure they’re safely tucked away in bed (well, that was actually Stan’s job, but it sounds good). What I wouldn’t give to backtrack just far enough to have them both under my roof again, and not just for a visit. I suppose time moves forward for a reason, and who am I to try and fight against it?
I find great comfort in remembering that God knows the pain of a Son who departed from heaven for a season–because some things cannot be accomplished without leaving the comforts of Home.
…He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:7
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9