Austen Turns 12!

My first born turned 12 on Friday. Twelve. And I must say I felt a mixture of emotions.

Pride. He's a really good kid. Caring, sensitive and hardworking (in both sports and school) and responsible. Sure he has his moments like all kids when he forgets his gym clothes or the pair of cleats that I told him 100 times to put in his bag but he's the kid who many teachers and coaches have told me, they wished they had at least 25 more of.

Excitement. What does the future hold for this kid? In sports, school, friendships. I'm really excited to see him grow up and get to experience a lot of firsts - like his first 6th grade dance that was on the evening of his birthday. We went to dinner with him beforehand and he could barely eat he was so excited to get there and see his friends. He went to an "after party" after the dance too and didn't get home til 10:30pm so I'd say he had a really great birthday (add that on to the fact we gave him an Xbox gift card and the soccer jersey he really wanted among a few other things and I'd say he was pretty happy).

Bittersweetness. Six and a half years. That's all we have left with him til he leaves for college. That seems so short!  But is a good reminder to make the most of the time we do have together as a family. Whether it's spending time in Michigan at our beach house or on some other family vacation. The time is now. Live in these moments with him from guiding him on navigating friendships, helping him those few times when he asks me for assistance with his homework or even relishing that he still wants me to tuck him into bed every night.

Honestly, that's why I hold my tongue more often than not when I hear my friends say, if I stayed home all day, I would shop all day or I don't know what those stay at home moms do in their Lululemon pants drinking Starbucks. Believe me there's plenty to do especially if you actually volunteer a lot at your kids' schools or for their sports teams.

I've been on both sides now - the stay at home mom and the full time working mom. I've made great money working. Managed a large staff. Received big promotions. And, this is why I don't miss it. I have six and a half short years left. And, I'm NOT going to miss those years. I can always go back to work, but I'm never going to get back these six and a half short years. For me, that's all there is to it. No regrets.

Blowing out his birthday candles in a cookie skillet with a few friends