These Are the Days

 I’ve reached what I call the “Sweet Spot” in parenting. Granted, I have never been through any stage farther than this. But I like to think about how my children are “old enough,” but yet still “young enough.” They are old enough to be more independent, to bathe themselves, to stay home on their own for short periods of time while I run to pick up groceries, to entertain themselves, to read, to swim without help. This is the part where I get to sit back and watch and then reach out and snuggle when I want to. It’s a really fun stage of parenting!

But savoring the “Sweet Spot” has me thinking about all of the phases that came before this and how sweet they were as well. One thing I have loved about having kids is the way each stage is special in its own way. When my first child was born, I promised myself that I would cherish every stage no matter what. And although I most certainly have less than perfect days, I have been able to soak my children up, make memories with them, capture photos and videos of them at every age, and thank God for the gifts they are to me.

Most days I find time to look at my Facebook Memories. And each photo I see of my children when they were younger makes me sigh and think, Those were the days! I’ll remember the time when Penny was still an only child, David worked four 10-hour days, and Fridays were our special days for spending lots of quality time together. Those were the days! I remember when Ariani was first born and Penny would dance around in the living room while I nursed my newborn with a sweet beagle cuddled up next to me. Those were the days! I remember taking Penny to preschool and running errands with a chubby toddler who spent half of her time crying and half of her time making me laugh. Those were the days! But I also remember yesterday when my sixth-grader was excited to start school and my second grader spread out a yoga mat and created a Barbie town. Those were the days!

These thoughts brought the following verse to my mind.

How many days have I forgotten that these are the days? How many times have I trudged through wishing I could just send them to school, or to Grandma’s house, or upstairs because I had work to do and they were keeping me from it?

Today I am reminded to do my best to be present in this day. Because as the country song says:

You’re gonna miss this

You’re gonna want this back

You’re gonna wish these days

Hadn’t gone by so fast

I can’t be perfect. I won’t get this right every day. But if I can post the phrase “These are the days” on my bathroom mirror or above my jewelry tray or as my phone wallpaper, maybe I can remember to take at least a few moments each day to snap a mental picture of what made this day special and thank God for it.