A Good Childhood ...

Early this summer an acquaintance posted on Facebook a gentle parenting reminder ...

"You only have 18 summers with your child."

For some reason the reality of those words hit hard. Probably, because we're five years away from the expiration of childhood for our oldest daughter.

{And, it's probably really less than 18 summers, I reasoned with myself. In those earliest years, which revolve around nursing and nap schedules of an infant and then toddler (and if you have multiple children, the pattern repeats itself a few times), summer really differs little from any other season. And then, at the other end of the spectrum, the closer you are to adulthood, the more likely that friends and summer jobs will get in the way.}

There was an urgency this summer. An urgency that remains now, even as our girls have been back in school for a full month. Our time with our kiddos is really pretty fleeting.

I want to maximize it.

Taking our girlies on a road trip or even a jaunt to the zoo or museum now (versus when they were preschoolers) is in many ways more rewarding. Everybody can walk on their own and wipe themselves. They make interesting observations and when we get home we can have stimulating conversations. However, I also think that part of their appreciation for outings now comes because of the outings they did when they were younger.

We sometimes wrestled with what was too much to do with little kids. It was hard when we lived abroad because there were so many choices around us, or just a short airplane ride away. I remember then ... when it was frustrating that the hotel pool seemed a greater attraction than say, The Great Wall. {So we usually ended up doing both, and I think they are the better and wiser for it.}

We did so much together this summer. More than I have space to put here (and more than readers are interested in knowing about!)

But ... There sometimes are epic fails. Like when we went to the Adler Planetarium this past June,  just hours after the moon passed directly through the center of the Earth's shadow. My middle was so interested in this phenomenon. My youngest was, as usual, happily along for the ride. My oldest asked repeatedly when we could go home.

I get that Planetariums don't rank very high on the coolness radar of teenagers. Someday in the future she might appreciate the gesture. But 2012 wasn't exactly the summer of teen appreciation.

To be fair, I'm not sure how appreciative I was at thirteen. (My record of groundings would suggest not very.)

Never-the-less, I will continue this active hands-on, activity filled time of their lives. Even if I have to sometimes remind my oldest that she's having a good childhood :-)