Slow down, time!

christmas1.jpg I do not plan on posting anything more until after Christmas. Too much to do to justify sitting in front of the computer. Besides, the days are passing entirely too quickly and I need to be with my children, enjoying every minute I have with them. I’m telling you, I blinked and they were “big boys”. It breaks my heart and makes me proud at the same time. I’ve been overwhelmed with thoughts of “they’re growing too fast, pay more attention to them while they’re still little” lately.

When they’re little, you think they’ll be around forever, then, they get older and they start wanting to hang out with friends, and go places and you realize that a day will come where they will leave and you will be left with this big, gaping hole in your heart, longing for the days when they were just your little boys and all they wanted to do was sit next to you and talk endlessly about things that didn’t really matter and sometimes? You’d get so annoyed because you just wanted some peace and quite and so you feel guilty for not just enjoying the hell out of every single second with them while they were little and sweet and innocent. And now I want to cry.
Will this stop? Am I going to be a wreck from here on out or will there come a day that I’ll be okay with them being “grown?”
I wasn’t even trying to “go there” with this post, all I wanted to do was say a little “Merry Christmas” to everyone and a little “I’ll see you next year”.
Now? I must go crawl into bed with my boys and squeeze them tightly and beg God to slow down time so they can stay my “little boys” just a little longer.

39 thoughts on “Slow down, time!”

  1. ben

    Enjoy them while they’re small, but cherish their growing, too. It’s all good.
    Or, as I meant to say, me too. Hope there’s room in that bed for all of us to snuggle..

  2. Heather

    I know how you feel. I look at my son and think where did the last almost 6 years go?? And now my daughter is almost 8 months. It flies by way to fast!
    Beautiful kids!!
    Merry Christmas!

  3. Kathy Howe

    Oh jebus…now I’m crying.
    First – you have the most beautiful children!! Look at them – they are flawless!!
    Second – dammit Y…I’m trying to live in DENIAL about my kids growing up and moving into lives that don’t include me.
    Happppppy Holidays, sweetie! Have a great time with your family!

  4. Empress

    It’s all good! That’s what life is all about. You have these beautiful children and it’s your job to make them as ready as possible to test their wings and live their lives. You’re obviously doing a fantastic job and your children will have wonderful lives because of you. Enjoy their growing! These are the fruits of your labor. Truly!

  7. Philip

    Just enjoy each day you have them. No age or time is more precious than right now. Life is short and time seems to fly when you have so much to live for, so much love in your life. Your boys will grow up, true. But the challenges they face and the experiences they have will mold them into young men, then men, and perhaps someday fathers. And they will have your support and memories of ten thousand days with you to draw from. Don’t cry over them growing up, just hold them all the closer and remember how good it feels.

  8. butterflies

    Thats a lovely pic of your children.,,thankyu.
    They look so happy and loved.
    Yvonne..you need to stop worrying about the future.None of us knows whats around the next corner or what will be in the next chapter.
    Merry Christmas to you and Tony and relax and have some fun!

  9. geeky

    unfortunately, i dont think they’ll even be a day when you’re ok with them growing up. but they’ll always be your boys! that photo is great… Merry Christmas to you and the rest of your family! 🙂

  13. Vickie

    Listen….and take this from one who has two college-age kids…
    When they were babies, I used to run home so fast to play with them I thought I’d end up killing myself breaking the speed limit. I’d actually wake them up from their naps to have the play time. That “fun” time turned into early adolescence where I was convinced that either I would kill them or they would kill me, or both.
    As they were about to graduate high school, however, things changed. They started becoming more of a “friend” than a “kid/child”. I knew we raised them well, we were proud of how they turned out, and I found myself actually running home again to spend time with them, knowing that college loomed around the corner.
    The older one left for college in 2002, only two hours away in Boston. I not only cried the entire week before, the entire drive up, the entire drive back, and that whole night, I cried for a month. I cried out of pride, as you did, but also out of the knowledge that my baby had taken the second to the last huge step of his life. A month passed, and I got better…two months went by, and that empty bedroom was looking more and more like the guest bedroom I’d never had….he came home for Christmas, and by January 20 I was kicking his ass out the door.
    Point is this…you will feel every emotion over the next few years and thats because you are a great mom. And the bottom line is, that you will probably cry your heart out when they DO leave you, but that ’empty nest syndrome’ V E R Y quickly turns into, “OMG IM A FREE WOMAN”…and you will LOVE the independance!
    Merry Christmas. Enjoy the moment.

  15. justme

    LOL, not that it funny, but I can always relate to your posts. I have been going through the same thing lately. My youngest just (omg not just, it was six months ago!) turned 9 and he’s my baby. My middle one just (and just this month,few) turned 13. And then I have a 17 year old junior that has been talking about going to NY or to Boston where we have family to go to collage! And I am all, well she still has Senior year and the rest of this year to go. But then I realize this school year is just about half over and how fast it has gone by and panic sets in lol. OMG now you have me crying and panicing! Dang.
    I hope every one has a great Holiday! However you celebrate them.

  16. Mrs Darling

    Dont sweat it girl. God in his great wisdom made the teenage years. By the time they are in their upper teens and early twenties you are soooo ready for them to go. I still miss my daughter but I see her a lot and even though I love her I would not want her back home. It’s the circle of life, the cycles of nature. When you get there you will be, if not ready, at least resigned!

  17. Jessy

    My mom cried last weekend when I told her I wanted to spend New Year at my house; alone. It wasn’t depressing to me; I’m just thrilled to be moving into my own place. And she understood, but it broke her heart to hear we wouldn’t be bringing the New Year together. Then my brother said “I rather go to my friends” That’s when she really lost it and asked for a group hug. We’re grown kids (I was married for 7 yrs!)…but this year I think she finally had to face it: We’ve left the nest.
    Moms are great like that.

  18. Old Fart Grandma

    Yes, they do grow up and leave home but then after a while the most wonderful thing in the world happens…They bring your grandchildren and the circle starts all over again!

  19. Jeremy

    Live in the here and now darlin, yesterday never happened, tomorrow never comes and today is just a dream. Cherish the moments with your family as if you have eternity because if you think about tomorrow, all you are going to do is get depressed and miss out on the good times. Trust me I learned this from experience.

  21. fl0w3r

    Well, I know I’m not telling you something you don’t already know…but that is one gorgeous family.
    Don’t worry, Y…tis the season for a few tears.

  22. skits

    It does fly by, but it also gets better and better. Promise. 🙂 Merry Christmas to you and your wonderful family, Y. Love you.

  26. Snidget

    I understand completely. Turtle had his christmas program this year and looked so big and tall standing up there singing. When did he get so big?
    Give the boys a big squeeze!

  30. Michelle

    I think this is the reason that kids become so hideously obnoxious as teenagers…so the parents can let them go instead of asphyxiating them in our bosoms. At least that’s what I’m told. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Yvonne!

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