10 THINGS I’M LOVING ABOUT THE MIDDLE STAGE OF MOTHERHOOD
I saw this quote last week and it pulled at my heart in a different way.
I realized that I’m in the Middle Mom Stage. My boys are potty trained, they sleep through the night, they fill their own water cups and open their own snacks, they even shower on their own each night. They no longer need me for a lot of the little daily physical things that babies and toddlers are so reliant on mommies for.
The way they need me now is deeper. It’s rooted in the inner workings of their minds and hearts. They are more curious, more intuitive, more inquisitive. My role is quickly becoming less about wiping rear-ends and more about holding onto the moments of “littlehood” a bit longer, while shaping their hearts to be little gentlemen who become men who love the Lord.
So to the mama who feels like she will never stop filling bottles, changing diapers and waking to the monitor in the middle of the night, it’s just a season and seasons change faster than we’d like.
I love that they can help with daily chores. Specifically, emptying the dishwasher and rolling the trash bins to and from the curb. I’m capable of doing both, I just don’t want to.
The creativity and imagination that my boys have is unmatched. I love looking out the kitchen window to see what kind of adventure they’ve come up with in the backyard. A few weeks ago I looked out and they had all of the extra things (soccer goal, water table, chairs, etc.) in a semi-circle around the tree house. Obviously I asked what was going on and they told me that the tree house was having a meeting with its people 🤣.
Seeing Jack thrive in school. If you’ve been around here for a while, you know that kindergarten was less than ideal and first grade was tumultuous to the point that we pulled him to homeschool for the second semester. We had a great experience with homeschool, but it’s not a long-term option for our family right now and Jack really LOVES going to school. We found a very small, classical education charter school that we enrolled him in and he is not just loving it, he is THRIVING. Seeing his confidence and knowledge increase daily just fills my heart with so much pride for him.
4. Seeing them laugh together over the silliest things, but doing it together. One thing I really loved about our season of homeschooling last year was watching how close Jack and Korben’s relationship became. I mean, they are brothers so obviously there is arguing and wrestling, but 9 times out of 10, they get along and play together really well.
5. Spending time together in the kitchen. Jack has always been my kitchen buddy. From the minute he could sit in the Sit Me Up Seat he was in the kitchen. I love watching his confidence grow as he is learning to read recipes, measure and even use the stove.
6. Family Pizza Picnic and Movie Night is my favorite night of the week. What was started as a sanity saver during a really difficult season has become the non-negotiable staple in our week. It let’s us have the space to unwind together after a busy week without the pressure of needing to plan a family event. Before I know it, there will be school dances and football games on those sacred Friday nights, so for now, we protect that time at all costs.
7. I love watching the admiration that Korben has for Jack. It’s definitely a monkey see - monkey do relationship for better or worse. If Jack is doing homework at the table, then Korben needs to do homework at the table. Every once in a while I will catch the way Korben looks at Jack in a picture and I hold it so close!
8. Something that I struggled with last year when we decided to homeschool, was the loss of my one-on-one time with Korben. I honestly grieved it a little bit. Now that Jack is back in school, I get to have that time back with Korben and I’ve LOVED seeing him shine during that time. Some days we go to playdates, some days we snuggle in the chair and watch movies, some days he plays independently while I’m doing various things around the house, but I love each moment.
9. I make no apologies for how much I love my Mom’s Group! We started together at MOPS a few years ago through our church and have since developed our own rhythm. We do Mom’s Nights Out, play Bunco and read through a book each semester. We always might on Thursday night and it is truly a highlight of the week. Moms NEED that community outside of their husband and children or even couple friends. Getting that time once a week with these amazing women is life giving.
10. I love getting to be part of it. In the newborn and beginning toddler years, there were days (or weeks) that it was enough for me to just make it to nap time or make it to dinner time. Those days are HARD, beautiful but HARD. Now, in this “Middle Mother Stage” I get to watch some of that early hard work bloom into these smart and funny and quirky and adventurous little boys who are navigating and exploring the world around them. Instead of pushing them in strollers, now I get to come alongside them, giving them the freedom to take chances while still having the safety net of Mama if something goes wrong. I still get to band-aid their knees and wipe their tears, but I also get to watch as they climb to the top of a big hill and stand in awe of the creation around them.