Missing You

I'm in the mall food court, drinking a smoothie.  I mindlessly search my email, catch up on my Facebook chats and try to get a little work done while waiting for my 17 year old daughter who is getting her hair highlighted at one of the beauty salons.  It's just one of many times we've come to the mall together to shop, eat and spend some happy mother and daughter time. I always enjoy the time I get to spend with my daughters and thankful that they still like to do things with me and that generally we get along very well.  I  am very grateful for that.

I look up from my tablet, and see a young mother holding the hand of her daughter as they walk into the Build a Bear store.  The girl is skipping beside her mom who has the look only another mother would know.  The look of exhaustion mixed with joy and pride over their young child.  I've seen this exact scenario so many times while sitting in the food court, but this time my reaction was different.  I was hit with an emotion so strong it took my breath away and I had to stop what I was doing.

My eyes brimmed with tears and I quickly used my napkin to dab my eyes.  I miss them.  They are gone.  I just saw my young mother life flash before my eyes, the same scenario of walking into Build A Bear with two sweet young girls holding my hand.  You see, I have two daughters, one is seventeen years old and another will be twenty one in a matter of weeks. They are nothing like the little girl clutching the hand of the young mother now, they are so much more and I take pride every day in who they are becoming.  Yet, my heart aches for who they were too.  That sweet, innocent time when I was their hero.  When only I could make things better. I miss their excitement coming home from school and their enthusiasm to start playing games with me immediately.  I yearn to hear their sweet, young voices calling "Momma".  I miss reading stories to them in bed while they leaned on me and held me, listening captivated to the words.  I miss them wanting me to stay with them a little longer after finished.

 It was almost too much to bear, so I opened my blog to write about it.

I felt like I never mourned the passing youth of my children.  I believe now it's a healthy process and one that every mother should acknowledge at some point.  Our kids go through many stages as they grow and it seems once they hit the teenage years they have become different people as they should. Certainly us parents become less important in many ways to them.

I love what we have and I miss what we had.

Here are inspiring stories of other parents journeys into the empty nest phase of their lives!

Chicken Soup for the Soul Empty Nesters