evolve

I remember like it was yesterday, the conversation I had with a very experienced friend, who tried to convince me that one day life would seem busier than it was right then. I admit, it was hard to believe her. I guess you can never fully understand exactly what that means until you're there. I'm pretty sure I'm there, or at least it feels like I am. Days are blurring together, and amidst the morning bustle and after school activities/homework, I'm making every attempt to spend as much time with my girls as possible.

You know, it's always been important to me to spend quality time with my girls, but it's become apparently clear the last few days that the older they become it's not only important, but vital to get that one on one time together. I know that sounds like a no brainer, but I know days could easily go by without a meaningful connection unless you make an effort to make it happen.


[self portrait while driving bumper cars=a good time]

Recently I've learned four things: 1) It's amazing the types of feeling, thoughts, questions an eleven year old has--definitely much more thoughtful than I ever was at that age. 2) What's even more amazing is these thoughts and feelings change frequently, sometimes daily. 3) You won't always have the answers, and most likely won't be able to make it right. Gone are the days of putting a bandaid on the wound and kissing it better--seriously what happened to those days? 4) It doesn't matter if you don't have the answers. They want to be validated, heard, they want to be loved.

Above all else I've learned, motherhood changes as your children change and so I'm doing my best to evolve to be what my girls need me to be right now. For some reason "right now" is different than it was last week, go figure. So I'm learning to take queues, to listen, and patiently understand as we again enter another stage of mother and daughter.