Today is a bittersweet day. Yesterday, Em FINALLY really learned to ride her bike. T taught her last summer, but she has been extremely reluctant to continue riding, instead choosing to woefully watch all her friends ride around the circle outside or try to keep up on her scooter. Through tears and tantrums, T forced her to learn yesterday. On the way to the bus stop this morning, she turned to me and said, "I really would rather ride my bike than go to school today!" So much can change with a little confidence!
Today also marks the end to our outdoor swingset. My mom bought it for our girls when we moved in here. It was the largest set we could fit in our minuscule backyard and provided hours of entertainment for a long time. It had a fort for caterpillar races, a sandbox that the girls only used when they were preschool age, swings that the boys next door nearly tipped the entire fort swinging on and swings the girls loved to swing on. The reality, though, was that it took up our entire yard and they weren't using it much anymore. We have a park we can walk to, bikes to ride in the cul-de-sac, pools we now go to in the summertime and we are all antsy about having a patio with a table to eat off, barbeque for our steaks and zucchini and a nice chair swing to swing on. I guess we're growing up.
I was thinking earlier that Em would miss the swingset the most, but I really think it's me. I have grown attached to the thing, to being able to send my kids out back to a safe place and to actually having kids who love to swing! It's almost like the beginning of having to say goodbye to childhood in this house. Kt is off to middle school next year, Em is entering the world of the tween and there are no little tikes left here. So sad! I attempted to pass that swingset along to my neighbor, just so I could see it every once in a while, but she refused. =( Fortunately, we found a sweet widow with two adopted children from Guatamala who happily took it off our hands. It's at least nice to know that it will be put to good use by two little kids who have a lot of child left in them. Now it's time for me to grow up!
1 comment:
Aww... I feel for you! How wonderful that Em is riding her bike now, and it's another sign--the littlest Sheng has reached another milestone in her growing up.
And boo hoo--the swingset is gone! Another sign of departing childhood.
I love childhood. There must be a way to make it last forever, even as grownups. Wait--there IS! And what do you know, it's already your fav place: DISNEY WORLD. :-)
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