Life in the land of no rest continues.
The one advantage of ridiculous short naps is that we get to leave the house a lot more than usual. (It's getting harder to see, but I'm looking for the silver lining.)
I think we've hit every playground in the area this week.
Our favorite playground is the one with The Big Blue Slide.
The thing is taller than me. The steps up to it are steep and scare the hell out of me.
My son is, of course, in love with it.
He goes down it all the time...on my lap.
Until today.
He just stood watching the other kids use the slide for awhile.
Finally, he looked at me and said "Self, Mama. Slide self."
And even a slightly paranoid mom like me couldn't say no.
(In my defense, he's a wild man who has already broken his leg once. It's enough to make any mom a bit of a helicopter.)
So he climbed up (with me spotting him) and without any hesitation down he went.
He then proudly proclaimed "I did it! Again."
He then repeated the performance about 20 times.
The whole thing is going to give me nightmares, but... he was ready.
There no denying it. He's not a baby anymore.
When did he become a little boy?
I always thought chasing a toddler was hard work, but I think learning to let him run by himself is going to be even harder.
34 comments:
Well K, you nailed it. Letting them go is the hardest.
i couldn't agree more.
How true it is, with each milestone come new concerns. Thank you for visiting my blog, I absolutely love the design of yours. My daughter is officially a "tween", leaving me wondering where did my little girl go? She does make an appearance everytime we pass by a McDonalds. Ahh... the power of the golden arches :)
I always got so scared when my kids started climbing on the playground equipment. I swore they wore going to fall and break an arm. Nope, just Mommy Paranoia again!
It's the toughest job of all. And the fact that you can already see it?! You'll ace this one.
I think that is the cutest blog I have ever read! You are brave, even if a little broken-hearted right now over baby-to-little-boy transition.
Yes, it is SO hard to let them go.
I sometimes forget that my daughter is two and that she's able to do a lot on her own.
ooh, slide. Good for him (and you!)
It is harder to let them go. This is the first spring/summer that my son has been allowed to go outside by himself and even though he's only in my next-door neighbor's fenced-in backyard, I'm at the window every 90 seconds like some kind of maniac.
Hi from SITS...you just wait! That little man is gonna give you more than heartburn in the future. But it will be worth it! :o)
The Land of No Rest? Ahhhhh, THAT must be where my House of No Sleep is located!!
Whenever I take my kids to the playground I think, "Oh! I remember when you couldn't climb the steps without my help!" Heartbreaking and wonderful, all at once! Stop byb my blog-I've given you the Lemonade award! :)
Wait until you find out what he can do when you aren't there! We grew up in a time where steel heel plates were put on shoes, so they would last longer. They also meant we could go down a slide, metal to metal at about Mach 2- throwing us 20 feet beyond the slide' bottom!
I know those slides well and my kids love them too. But they make me totally nervous.
oh this is a great post!! this parenting stuff does not ever get easier, i am sorry to say... but the joys always outweigh :) good for you for letting go... just a tiny bit. and hopefully all of that sliding tired him out?
Scary, but... good for you! I meant that as a cheer, not that it's actually good for you, like vitamins.
Enjoy the long weekend.
- Margaret
Slides were my favorite, and swings in playgrounds...letting go is hard...
Letting go is something I feel like I can't wait to do.. but then when they are ready, I find I am definitely not ready!
Hooray for your little guy!
It's never easy, but you have to let them try.
I remember standing there helpless while my oldest was standing at the top of the slide all alone! That was hard to watch but no one said being a parent was easy. My husband always says, "We could have had dogs instead". But I wouldnt trade those moments for anything.
Awww, I can feel your sadness that he is growing up so fast. Just savor the moment . . . and remember, he'll be driving a car one day so the slide isn't so bad after all, right?
Happy Memorial Day!
P.S. Come see my latest ranting!
Nice work, it's so hard letting them do things like that on their own. Elliot just turned one and she's already scaling the equipment at Gymboree. After chasing her off of it for a few weeks, I said f it and let her do it on her own. The other mothers look at me like I'm a monster.
I remember when my son started to give up naps ... worst time of my motherhood career, bar none.
And it is scary letting them go ... but that is what our job is. This mothering thing IS NOT EASY!!!
Mommy - wow, he's a big boy now.
Sleeping any?
Absolutely. Letting go is the hardest part.
Awwww! Nothing like some good heart stopping fun!
You can still hang on...just a little.
We have to let them go??
Very well stated. I felt they samw way about my son at 2 and a 1/2 who wanted to swing higher and higher but he had so much fun!
Have a great weekend!
That lesson is so hard to learn...maybe that's why we are given twenty years to learn it. The day i realized my then-teenage son had a life that was his own, and that he needed me less and less, I cried, and went into a funk that lasted a while. It took me until he was grown to realize that my job was not as much to keep him safe, as to teach him to keep himself safe. I am proud of both of us. It's a difficult lesson. And i love him so damn much.
It is bittersweet, isn't it? But I can remember being happy to not have to climb up into those tubes at playgrounds anymore.
Absolutely agree - letting go so our baby boys grow and experience becoming little boys then transition into young boys (which is where mine is at 9) where he insists on going into the boys bathroom on his own, play outside with the other boys down the street without me following every footstep, put his own minnow on the hook, and a whole host of other things - is both sides of the same coin. I weep and grieve my baby boy no longer being a baby and needing me all the time and also rejoice at his independence and handsome growing stature. I am so happy for him that he is grownup enough to sit with his Nana and read through the pages of a bird book talking about all of the different birds we have in our area. I am glad for the few stolen times when he does me and crawls in bed with us when there is a big storm or onto my lap still when he doesn't feel well. He's still my baby boy - he is closing in on five feet tall and 83 pounds!
So happy for you that you can enjoy and recognize this amazing time in your lives.
I'll hush up now ... peace ...
so cute! I'd love to see photos!
that last sentence is soooo true!!
Aw! I'm in the same boat right now. It's hard when like, just YESTERDAY they fit in the crook of your arm.
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