I’ve attended every school trip with our children since our oldest son entered preschool.
That’s alot of trips.
This is not possible for every mom. I get that and thank God and my husband for allowing me to be present.
I GO IN on these trips – fully participating in the activities with the kids. (Sometimes like the kids.) I also make a point to learn something new. Often, the learning is related to the trip subject matter. Other times, I pick up something interesting about the teachers, other parents, or social interactions between the children.
Friday, Baby Girl’s class went to the strawberry farm.
This morning’s group did the last picking of the season at Mrs Heather’s Strawberry Patch in Albany, LA.
Pickings were scarce and the berries that remained on the vine were really ripe or rotten.
We persevered and got really ripe ones.
Folks that ate strawberries straight off the plant said they are super ripe, juicy, and sweet.
They were but not as sweet as the memories.
Baby Girl is 8.
Watching her skip from one area of the farm to another – hearing her squeal as the horse ate corn from her hand – feeling her fingers wrap around mine as she pulled me along to play… fresh on my mind was that these little girl sweet behaviors won’t last.
Time flies.
She’ll mature and while I enjoy the newness of each age and stage of our children’s development – I also miss some of the aspects they outgrow.
Times like these when I step away from the 3, 482 things on my mind and to do list to be in the moment with our kids are precious.
These times create memories.