Roots and wings

I was going over the schedule for the rest of the week and it hit me... The quote I've seen so often... The one I completely understand but really don't like... The one that says "The greatest gifts you can give your children are the roots of responsibility and the wings of independence."


So often I wish I could just stop the clock and keep things just like they are. Keep the kids at the ages and stages they are in. Keep them in our care forever (or as long as our time on earth lasts). I know that isn't possible, but I just love having all of our kids around.


At the same time, we are constantly preparing our kids to fly, even as we are wishing we could keep them in our nest. Laura will be 16 this year. We've been taking her back and forth to drivers ed while hardly being able to take in how few years we have left with her living under our roof. I will be taking her to a nearby University this week to start on a series of CLEP (College level examination program) to begin working towards her degree.


Charlotte will enter her teenage years this December - bringing us up to 3 teenagers in the house. Several of the kids have birthdays around this time of year, and maybe that is what made it hit me so hard this evening.


While we wish we could just stop time, on the other hand it is so fun to see them growing and developing... to see their personalities coming out... to watch them learn who they are... Really, I wouldn't want to miss these days of them growing older and growing closer to their independence, but I also just want to hold onto them, just the way they are... It is such a crazy thing. It is such an automatic progression. You keep on moving onwards even while you wish time could just stand still. It's hard to explain...