Morning Has Broken

Alrighty all you mom's of toddlers out there, I know that deep down you can't wait until your child will sleep past 7:00 am. I remember those days.
Notice that I'm writing this at 9:30 in the morning, there is a reason for that. I'm about to give you a taste of the other side.

Yes, my young men do finally sleep past 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00... I think you get the point.
We've actually done a bit of role reversal. I seem to get up earlier and they... well, they do not.

I really miss the times when I could hear one of my little boys early in the morning playing in his bed and I would walk in to pick him up (nevermind that I would stumble into the other room in a half-asleep stooper while stubbing my toe on the door jam - this is my fantasy/daydream of yesteryear - imperfection does not exist). As I picked him up from his bed, I noticed that his diaper was dry, as always, because he is a perfect child and waited to use the potty even at five months old. Next, I would bring him into our bed to wake up daddy, all the while giggling and cuddling. (HA!)

Fast Forward to today:

8:00 - Sound the wake up call

8:15 - Sound the wake up call

8:30 - Sound the wake up call

8:32 - Sound the wake up call and add emphasis to the "Get up now, or else"

8:33 - Feel sorry for myself because nobody listens to me...

8:36 - Sound the wake up call and finally figure out what the "or else" will be...

8:47 - Go upstairs and physically push them out of bed :) Ahhhhh... Success


OK, if I'm being totally honest, I really liked the quiet of the house this morning. Maybe I wasn't as earnest in my pursuit of waking my children as I might suggest. Calling from the downstairs to three snoring teens with the doors closed and fans on doesn't exactly promote the best way to successfully wake up my kids.

All kidding aside, the term "The grass is always greener" is so true.

Usually it's used when comparing ourselves to others, but I also find myself using it and longing for days gone by. In some ways it's more like a double edged sword when comparing it to ourselves. I long for those days past AND I regret not enjoying them more. So many coulda, shoulda, wouldas...

I'm sure that when my husband began reading this post he wondered whose house I was waking up at.

The conundrum I find myself facing today is how do I enjoy the moment, right now, before it's to late.
One day, I will have the whole house to myself in the morning. Of course, Matthew will be here, but he can get himself up and will of course go to work. At that point, it's just me.
Wow... I actually stopped when I wrote that. It truly hit me.

That's the design of course. This is what I've been training my children for all these years. To become independent successful adults and (I might add) that this is what I want for them more than anything, only adding above that a relationship with the Lord.

I guess it's just so much clearer now that it's closer to reality. Empty nest, boy now there's a stage I never thought would come.

So tomorrow morning, when your little one wakes up before dawn and you stumble out of bed to check on them, enjoy the smile on their face when they see you and the embrace they give you when you pick them up. If they're crying and have full diapers or worse, clean them up and thank God that you're able to do so. Then give them the hug and tickles that they and you so desperately need.

As for me, I'll actually ascend the stairs tomorrow morning to wake the guys and whether they like it or not, they will wake up with the kissy monster they used to know and love.