Momservation: The only thing that can make a mother miss changing diapers is standing eye to eye with her teenager.
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My son turns 13 this week. It is a milestone that makes my eyes sting with tears.
Not the kind that burned my eyes nearly 13 years ago when I was a new, sleep-deprived mom with poop on my hands and dodging pee geysers.
This time I’m overwhelmed with emotion because I can see the finish line ahead instead of wondering how I’m ever going to make it there. Is it too late to throw the race to independence?
Gone are the days when I could rain kisses upon his face and he would squeal with delight. It’s been about a year since he turned his cheek to me, lip kisses from your mom no longer cool.
Those days when I would wish he would just go watch TV instead of waking me to play Crazy 8’s, do puzzles, or play with his rubber snakes in bed have been filed under Careful What You Wish For. Hearing him walk by my room to turn on SportsCenter in the living room makes me want to put the genie back in the bottle.
Just when you think you want to change your name from “Mommy” due to whining overuse, you become “Mom” and it just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
“Mommy, watch me! Mommy, help me! Mommy, come here!” will never drive you crazier than being met with a distancing silence.
But the worst part about realizing you only have five years until your first born child officially doesn’t need you anymore, is recognizing that it happened long ago:
He doesn’t need me to button his coat.
He doesn’t need me to tie his shoes.
He doesn’t need me to fix his hair.
He doesn’t need me to push him on a swing.
He doesn’t need me to read him a story.
He doesn’t need me to get the soap out of his eyes.
He doesn’t need me to give him a boost.
He doesn’t need me to blow on his food.
He doesn’t need me to hold him until his tears dry.
But now, I need him to hold me until mine do.
What do you miss doing for your kids or think you’ll miss doing?