I'm discovering that the older they get, the further away a child's orbit drifts from the mother sun. All day long, every day, Matthew zips around me, as close as he can practically get. And when Anna is home from school, she stays pretty nearby, generally at least on the same floor of the house. But at this point, multiple hours go by when Carolyn is off doing her own things, in her own space. She used to be the one in close orbit, not that long ago.
These ever-widening orbits are most obvious in my collection of photos - so I have to make a concerted effort to corner her now and then and document (for example) that she's only 2" away from being as tall as me, she refuses to zip up her coat even when it's only 28 degrees out, and she recently got her hair cut to shoulder length.
Luckily, I'm pretty sure that no matter how far away my children's orbits drift, they'll at least circle back for food and spending money now and then. :)
You can be sure they'll be back for food and spending money! Haha! Great narrative and shot. I know the feeling. It was hard seeing ours grow up so fast.... Now we are loving watching them with families of their own.... And -- we have discovered -- They were actually listening to us when they were young. We're hearing our son say the exact words now to his kids. His Dad and are are constantly amazed!
@aglennc LOL - the number of times I channel my parents is ridiculous. I feel like I should send them flowers with a card that just says "I am so sorry" every time my kids do something obnoxious that I totally remember doing when I was a kid too... :)
