Tag: mama

I don’t have one single baby picture of her and me. I didn’t encourage her to say her first word or celebrate her first steps. When she lost her first tooth – or even the next 10 after that – I wasn’t there. You can’t find me in a photo walking her into preschool or kindergarten or any of her first years of school on the first day.

I didn’t expect to have teenagers this soon – so I am going to blame my unpreparedness on that. Although I truly do not think that one can ever fully be prepared for the teenage years (or even the late preteen years leading up to it). Regardless, God thankfully blessed me with my bonus girl who gets to be the guinea pig for all things teenage related for our girls.

I didn’t think I would take it this hard – feel this much feeling. It’s just another school year. I mean, we do it every year. You would think I would be used to it by now. But for some reason, the night before school started this year had me unable to contain my tears.

Dear God,

Two thousand nine hundred and ninety days. That’s how long my youngest, Reagan, has been sober. She’s 8. She’s been sober her entire life – all 2,990 days of it. Yet, when I was talking to Lee about doing something fun for our 200 days since we quit alcohol, Reagan wanted in on the action. After all, she had far more days than we had.

OK, where did August come from? I swear school just got out for the summer like last week. And now, all of a sudden, we are knee deep in practices for fall sports and buying school supplies. Sigh.

Last week while I was at work, Miss Maylie called me from the sitter’s house crying hysterically. I am not talking about a little freak out — oh no, like a full-blown, could-barely-talk, freak out. Linda, our sitter, got on the phone to tell me that she had a splinter.

Fourteen, 12, 10, 9, 8, 8 and 6. Seven kids. Together, Lee and I have seven kids – and these are their ages.

One very important goal of mine as a parent is to prepare my kids with the tools that they will need to one day go out in this world on their own. I want them to be able to face any situation in front of them, whether it is by calling on things they have been taught or hitting their knees and asking for God’s help.

Last weekend, like I have for the past 12 years (except for the year that they canceled because of Covid), I went to Country Concert. We pay for it well in advance and well, because of that, I had already planned and paid for it this year before I had made the decision to stop drinking.