I am weird!

Actually I almost typed my title line wrong.  My fingers hit the keys "wired" instead of "weird" and since I have NOT had coffee yet ,I can but long for the feeling of the typo.  LOL  But weird was really what I meant.

I have a strange age breakup in my friends, because we really have 2 generations of kids in our family.  The folks I became friends with when Chet was little have kids all grown up, sometimes grandkids and definately lots of empty nester type things going on.  I am still friends with them but I sort of feel a disconnect from them--and I am sure they feel likewise about me.

Then there are the folks I became friends with when Rob, KC and Lissa came into our lives.  They are all younger than I and we don't match age wise but we share the same interests, challenges and joys of parenting. In many many ways we mesh really well.  But there are some disconnects here too.  It may actually be a function of the fact that age wise I am an older parent.  I have experience to know how fast a child grows up.  Even when I feel "pull my hair out" frustrated I often remind myself  that whatever the issue, it is only for a season.  They grow and change literally before my eyes.  Even issues from trauma and abuse change in their presentation.  Those with disabilities don't change as quickly or in as predictable manners but they do change.  The way they are able to handle their issues change, my understandings of them change.

Some of my friends have said things like "thank goodness X is finally able to go to school.  It took forever for me to get my errands done".  I have friends who have bemoaned how long it takes to take a walk with littles.  And the reason I am weird, is that I love that!  I don't know if it is a function of embracing a homeschool mentality but all the time we spend together feels precious.  I don't want to waste it in "hurry".  I like doing errands with my kids and adore taking a 40 minute walk that goes around our block, collecting treasures. (right now we are looking for things to make fall wreaths.) I worry that when they are grown, I'll forget to look at fall leaves with the same wonder, or run out on the porch to share a rainbow or a sunset.  Wonder is the greatest gift our children give us.