I am a mama of three. My oldest is 9, middle is 3, and my youngest just turned 1. It’s very easy to get caught up in the feelings of having your last baby. You start selling all of the baby stuff and it seems very bittersweet to be leaving that stage of your life behind you. In the big picture of life, the baby stage is a very small blip in our childs life. Yes they are cute and do insanely cute things all day long, but generally when they are baby/toddler aged, many of their actions, emotions, and attitudes are highly influenced by us their parents. They probably do have their own little personality, but we make many if not all of their choices for them. What they eat, what they wear, what other kids they associate with, and what behaviours we think are acceptable and not acceptable.

My oldest is 9 and there is something amazingly beautiful about seeing your child come into their own and start to make their own choices, triumphs and mistakes. Don’t get me wrong, he tests me on the regular and I am constantly wondering what is going on in that head of his, BUT he’s figuring things out. Life is problem solving at its best and kids have the a big job of trying to figure out right from wrong, good and bad, and essentially what is the best decision for them.

This past weekend my husband and I took my oldest son to a hockey tournament. Just him. No siblings, no nap times to abide by, no diapers to change or millions of things to carry. I didn’t realize how much I needed this and how much he needed it too. It is so easy to get caught up in the diapers and his siblings that pretty much need me for anything and everything. I forget that although he is much more independent than them, he still needs me on a different level. He needs to know that I haven’t forgotten about him, and that I will still always be there when he needs me and be at every game.

So what I thought was just going to be a hockey tournament full of early morning games and cold arenas ( don’t worry they were still a major part of the weekend :)) , turned into a weekend full of nostalgia for my first born and not only how far he has come as a young boy, but our journey as mother and son.

So here’s to more moments of nostalgia and being proud of ourselves as parents and proud of our children and how far they have come too❤

Mama Hil.xo