This week was spring break for my family. I spent a lot of time looking back or rather looking up at the children around me. It’s amazing how fast the dynamic in my household has changed. It wasn’t very long ago that I would have to take a child by the hand to keep them moving on a hiking trail or convince them a theme park ride wasn’t so scary. Now, I’m the one lagging behind and struggling to keep up with their long strides.

At the theme park this week while I stood in line I realized I was now the shortest one of the group. How in the world did that happen? When my children were small, people always told me, “These years go so fast.” It’s not a lie, but what I consider the most important is that I would do it all over again. All the struggles, the tears, the disappointments, every single up and down, if I woke up tomorrow and had to do it over, even with the knowledge of what was coming, I would do it. My kids make up a huge part of my transformation over the years. It’s because of them I’m less selfish and can laugh at dopey mistakes I make. It has been a humbling experience to wade into the unknown of childrearing and still really like the kind of people my children are turning into. I needed them as much as they needed me. Now, if only they hadn’t all decided to grow so dang tall. Having to look up all the time really lessens my ability to look “tough” when I’m laying down the law.