My Children

I wrote the following poem after my oldest Anya was born. It is exactly how I feel about all three f my kids. As we grow older we realize our importance in our children's lives slips away a little bit at a time, until they are independent adults themselves, and then you start being a little more important in their lives again.

To My Child

You came into this world,

at a whirlwind pace.

Even though I resist,

You will grow the same.

Today I hold you in my arms,

And dream of the future.

Tomorrow you take,

the first steps of independence.

Shortly you are on your way to school,

while I watch with a proud heart.

Then you ask,

to borrow the car,

and go on your first real date.

Next you are off,

to college and to make a life of your own.

Then I am holding my grandchild,

remembering holding you,

the same way.

Let us just take,

your life

one day at a time,

and make it last.

It is interesting to see, as I have three daughters all in different stages of their lives. The ldest Anya is going to be 21 in March, is away at college at Eastern Nazarene in Quincy Mass, studying Religion, with hopes f going into youth work. She is getting ready to make her mark on the world. It is comforting to know she still needs her parents every now and then to help her make decisions.

In contrast there is Khrys, the 16 year old high school junior. She is growing more and more independent each day of her life. She seems to be a natural at everything she does from playing clarinet, to skiing, and driving. She works two jobs and takes them both very seriously, and they have become a priority in her life, as she strives to become independent from us. She too, is striving to make her mark on life, and puts her all into everything she does. In some ways she is the biggest mystery at this age, because one minute she acts so mature and set n her path, and then in the next she is playing the little girl who needs her parents to lean on and help her out.

The we have Grace all 10 years old of her. She too is striving fr that independence. One of my greatest thrills in my daily routine is the fact that Janet has to be at work by 8 o'clock in th morning most mornings, and my job being a little more flexible, is waiting for the bis with Grace in the morning. Her inquisitiveness in the world around her is fun to see. Again on a lesser scale she acts like a little girl totally dependent on us one minute, and the next she is trying to spread her wings and act so adult. Last Saturday night she went to first dance, she had to get all dressed up, and act like a lady. Dances at that age are fun from a parents point of view, the boys on one side of the gym , and the girls on the other trying to look all grown up.

We have to remember that we have t take each day as it comes and enjoy the opportunities they produce, because you never know how short they can be. It is so easy to say we can do that tomorrow, but tomorrow may never come. It seems like the days fly by so quickly, one day they are there, and the next you wake up and there is an empty bed in the house, and your contact is through the mail and over the phone, until they come home on vacation and bring their dirty laundry for mom to do.