Only a handful of Wednesday afternoons are left. They are special times for my youngest and me. Next year she will be out of elementary school and those times will be gone. Sure, the afternoon off in the middle of the week is a pain when you’re looking for a job to fit round school, but I treasure the times I’m not working and we have those four hours. Sometimes we go out, sometimes I help her with homework, sometimes we just chat and hang out around the house…sometimes she can’t wait for the others to get home despite my best efforts! Whatever we’ve done it has been our time.

Motherhood is full of change, doors opening and closing, ages and stages. Once comfortable with one, before you know it you’re into another. Everyone says it when you bring your new baby home, ‘Make the most of it, before you know it they’ll be leaving home…’ There it is again. Make the most of it. It’s so true! My eldest graduates this year and will leave home for college, the next two are hot on his heels and my youngest moves up to middle school. Those years have flown. When I think about it in this way I am so thankful that I could be a stay at home Mum for as long as I was.

Let me be honest here. Sometimes for any Mum things are fantastic and sometimes things are overwhelming. It’s not all yummy Mummy bliss and contentment. Raising children is hard work, challenging and a huge responsibility. There are times when you wonder what you are doing with your life and then others when you wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. When children are younger the routine can get monotonous, days long, the tantrums trying, cleaning up never ending, but the cuddles and their joy of life make up for all of that.

As they get older life gets busy in a different way. It can seem at times that they’re having all the fun and you are just the taxi and hotel service, but you get to know and be involved with the amazing people your children are growing up to be – even if they don’t hug you that often any more and sometimes seem to hate you. It takes more effort to spend time just with them alone.

Yesterday, I popped in on a friend who has two very precious tiny ones. At work I see lots of families with young ones come in for story time. I want to say to each and every Mum, and of course Dad, I see, ‘Enjoy every moment.’ Before you know it, those moments pass and are gone…both the good and the bad.

Make memories to treasure, take time, be present, be there, love them. It’s something you will never regret.