We've come a long way, baby

I went for a short hike today with my three kids, their 9-year-old friend from the neighborhood, and our dog. We were in a local park, which is mostly woods, with paved paths and a small lake with a beach and some dirt trails through the woods. All four kids and the dog hopped in the car, we drove to the park, walked around for a while, walked back to the car, even ran an errand on the way home.

Lots of other moms and kids were walking in the park too, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of what a colossal pain in the butt it is to go anywhere with small children. You need to be prepared for every possible crisis. Strollers for kids who can’t walk, or kids who won’t walk, diapers, snacks, wipes, a change of clothes, bags for dirty diapers, and/or dirty clothes, drinks for each kid, and so on and so on … I remember loading up the handles of the stroller with so many bags that if the kid got out (and sometimes even if he didn’t) the stroller would tip right over, wheels in the air.

Today I brought my keys. That’s it.

I remember the first time we went into Boston on the train without a stroller and a diaper bag. So liberating! Just a bag of goldfish in my purse and off we go! Now we can go for hikes, to the beach, to the mall, we can be out of the house for the whole day and not have to pack like we are leaving the country. We can just go. 

So even though I get annoyed sometimes about my kids, I need to remember how easy I have it now. My kids are old enough to do all kinds of fun things—things that are fun for mom and dad and the kids. If they want to go swimming, they can. I don’t have to. They can go to a friend’s house to play. I don’t have to go, too. I don’t have to remember how to fold that horrible double stroller that never quite worked right. I don’t have to wipe any butts.

When I look at pictures of them when they were little with their perfect peach cheeks and their baby-chick hair, part of me feels a little bittersweet about how they are not babies anymore and they are growing and changing so fast. We are in a good place where the kids are not too little, but the turbulent teenage years haven’t started yet.   But mostly I am glad they are growing into really cool and interesting people that I am lucky to know.