A Sigh, But No Tears

Today as I was picking up my son from preschool, I noticed a mother calling to her child. The little girl was no more than 2 years old and the mother was firmly calling to her from about 10 yard away, "You need to come here right now. It's time to pick up your brother!"

As luck would have it, I was passing the little girl at the exact moment that she responded to her exasperated mother. Her response? "No." She said it very plainly and matter-of-factly. She had no intention of moving from where she was unless properly prodded by her mother. And the wise mother that she surely was chose not to let the situation escalate, and instead promptly closed the distance between herself and her child and swooped her up into her arms and proceeded into the preschool.

I sighed and smiled as I watched this brief interaction.

I see these vignettes of motherhood every day as I walk the halls of both my son's preschool and my daughter's elementary school. The scenes change as children get older, but they always have a mind of their own. Thank goodness for that.

My "baby" is just days away from the end of that preschool experience, but when I watch a little girl obstinate over a short walk into a building that she has surely made many times without a fuss, I'm reminded that there should be no tears . Children are supposed to grow up. They will come up with new ways to make me sigh and smile every day no matter their age.

Tears are likely coming in the weeks ahead, but for now it's easy to see that I am right where I'm supposed to be.