Do This Parenting Thing. Trust Me.

I know that not all of my parenting choices are perfect, but there are a few decisions I've made that I can confirm are Fantastic. One of the best ideas I've ever had was to take each child on a special Mother-Child trip when they turned 10.

Why ten? 10 year olds are still "kids" and enjoy much of the innocence and wonder in the world of childhood. Not quite pre-teens with all of the hormones and angst that arises from the struggles of growing up, 10 year olds are kind of a perfect mix of little kid and big kid.

It's a sweet spot.

And so, I take them on trips. Nothing over the top like flying across the world, but somewhere relatively close, affordable, and unique to their interests. The other qualifying marker is that the trip must be somewhere where neither of us has ever gone before. :)

I took Justin to Mammoth Cave.

Evan and I went to St. Louis.

And tomorrow, Corinne and I will travel to West Virginia to zip line through the mountains, kayak in the morning quiet, raft in white water for a full day, hike and climb and spend quality time together where we can listen to our music, be silly and giggle, and simply enjoy our bond as Mother and Daughter.

If you know me even a little bit, you probably know that I am quite nostalgic and wistful concerning my kids and the speed at which they are moving through their childhoods. Whenever my youngest completes a milestone, it is all the more poignant knowing that this particular moment is the last of its kind for our family. This week will be the final Mother-Child-10-year-old-spectacular-vacation. Knowing just how distant the boys' special vacations already feel in my heart only cements my need to sigh wistfully and feel poetic about her dirty feet and swiftly growing limbs. 

To put it succinctly, I feel as though this is the final "sandcastle" on this particular beach...

Ready or not; Here comes the tide.

(2015 LTYM Chicago - "Sandcastles")