The Good Old Days?

Yesterday, Rob was missing those Sunday afternoons of sitting on the couch and watching all the football there was to watch. He talked of the one o'clock game, the four o'clock game, the fire in the fireplace and the chips and dip. As I thought about all I had to do yesterday and the fact that the girls would ceratainly not want to sit on the couch all afternoon anyway, I said, "I sure do miss those days."

As the words were coming out of my mouth, I thought, "No you don't." In fact, I hated those days. Wasted afternoons. Boring. Silly. Whatever the words might be. I was constantly asking to do something else. To stop sitting and watching tv. To move. To do.

I struggle daily to live in the moment. I am often bemoaning the past or worrying about the future. The above conversation called all this into the light again. There were parts of those good old days that I truly miss now- the sitting still, the uninterrputed conversations, the calm, even being able to safely have a fire in the fireplace. I suppose one of Rob's room mates may have wandered into the fireplace but that would have been his own fault, not the fault of a negligent parent!

Yesterday, I thought I missed something that at the time I hated. And there was something worthwhile in those afternoons- the calm, the rest, the ability to sit still among friends. Everyone talks about how quickly these baby, toddler and pre-school years go. They talk about appreciating the small problems because they will soon be followed by bigger and harder problems.

I smile politely at these people and think how wrong they are. What can be harder than sleep deprivation, no moments to myself, teething, constant messes, pre-school struggles over what to wear, choosing the right schools, tantrums and whining.

After missing afternoons filled with football, I realize that these people might just have a point. I wonder ten years from now, what I will look back on and miss.