Thursday, May 7, 2015

{On Mothering}

Join me this week, as we head into Mother's Day, for a little series called {On Mothering}. 
I have asked four bloggers, and mothers, to share a little something from their mothering experience. 
The only information I gave them was the title of the series, the rest I left up to them. 

Today I welcome Tracey from Clover

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Letting Go

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be.
~ Robert Munsch




I have always loved being a mama,
from the first moment over thirty years
ago when I held my 7lb. baby girl,
all the way to the present, motherhood
has been my calling. That being said
there is one element that I do not
relish, but it is something every mama
experiences, that of letting go. When
I look into the eyes of my daughter, or
one of my four sons, it is not an adult
is see, it is the little face of a being
who for years  needed me for everything.
I am the mama who co-slept, breastfeed
until they were three, who could not
leave the house unless they were with
me...they were/are my world!

But keeping your babies home forever
is not how it works, they grow up.
The saying, 'in a blink of an eye', it's
true;  I blinked and now they are grown.
The great thing about this journey though
is that when those wee little beings grow up,
they get married and begin having families
of their own.  I am now discovering a
new role, that of a grandmother, or Olie
[Oh-lee] as I am called. To tell you the
truth,  this role is pretty incredible and
I am enjoying every minute of it. I'll
keep you posted when I blink again and
become a Gra -nOlie, the name my children
think I should be called since they call
me a 'tree hugger'. :), I think it will be
a blast.

29 comments:

  1. Oh I am with you completely in letting go of children. I do not have grands, yet but maybe one day I will be blessed and doubly blessed if they live near enough for me to see. I keep trying to redefine who I am while letting go but you know what, I am a mother no matter what new definition I give myself!!

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    1. I hope you have a dozen grands that live right by you Karen.
      I keep trying to redefine who I am too and it's really a quite enjoyable time,
      but you are correct, we are always a mother.
      Happy Mother's Day Karen.

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    1. Thank you my dear friend and yes, you can be a Gra- nOlie too.

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  3. Tracey, this is hitting home for me! Even though both of our girls are still at home with us, our oldest only has one more year in high school. Who knows what the future will hold for both of them, but it is bittersweet for me. I am excited to see where they'll go, but not so ready to let them go...

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    1. I think watching our babies spread their wings and discover who they really are makes the letting go a wee bit easier. My youngest also only has one more year of high school so I will be right there with you as we say 'see you later.' as they head out into the world.

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  4. oh Tracey...that blinking business is so true...we can only inhale deeply through each stage of this journey..

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  5. This was beautiful. I already feel the same way and mine are still children! It's hard to let go and I'm sure that only increases over time. Thanks for the lovely post.

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    1. You are most welcome Jennifer. Just enjoy all the time you have with your babies and don't blink ;)

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  6. I know what you mean Tracey! Since Autumn (my oldest) went through the 9-10 year change, life is so different! She is growing up and I hate it! I miss when my children were small and were going through easier challenges, things that I could easily fix with a diaper change or a feeding. The inner/emotional ones that they begin to face with puberty are so much more challenging. I will be so sad when my girls are all grown up and gone, but like you said, you can look forward to then becoming a grandma! :)

    Beautifully written post!

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    1. Tiffany, another joy to look forward to is the friendship that really grows with adult daughter. I love that Erin and I are so close and can now share the joys of motherhood together.

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  7. oh the letting go, it is so hard. i keep trying to find a way to have them stay, but maybe have their own space. funny you wrote about this... so did i today. <3

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    1. I saw you post today and had to laugh since I had such a similar post up too.
      The letting go is hard, but please know you are not alone, we're here if you
      need us.
      Happy Mother's Day.

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  8. You were so young...just a child yourself. How cute and what a beautiful pair you make. Letting go is the hardest thing...like with your children Hannah slept with us and was breastfed until almost three. She came everywhere with us...we never needed anyone to babysit.

    It is the hardest thing to let go, but I am enjoying how our relationship is evolving. I now have a new friend who is wise and cool and teaches me lessons just by who she is, a rock hippie at heart someone who never judges on initial meeting but gets to know and understand and help people. But deep down she will always be my little bambie...I think it's the best thing we ever did.

    I think that Granolie is a perfect name for you...thank you for giving us some insight into your experience.
    Have a great day,
    debx

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    1. I was young Debby, 19 with my first and 33 with my last, sigh.
      I love the relationship I now have with my children too, especially my daughter who really acts more like she's the mother! Your Hannah sounds amazing and someone I would love to met.
      Happy Mother's Day.

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  9. What a great series! I'm loving watching the cool people my kids are turning into, although I know I'll be a weepy mess when it is finally time to let them go. Happy Mother's Day to you!

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    1. Thank you Andrea. It is pretty fun to watch our babies grow into these awesome adults and just make sure you have a hankie close by when the time comes to let go.
      Happy Mother's Day to you too.

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  10. No truer words... I'm nowhere near having them leave the house, but just my oldest starting school in September and staring to get "teased" by little boys at the playground is enough to know the whirlwind has started. All you can do is hold on for dear life and enjoy the ride. xo

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  11. After an evening looking at university courses with my older son, this post was just a perfect reminder of the joy mixed in with the sadness of seeing them grow...I love seeing him become independent and going off on his own journey but I also feel the ache in my heart at the thought of his leaving home...thank you for showing me the joy that is yet to come! Beautiful post Tracey and wonderful timing! :)

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    1. Thank you Emily. Just you wait, grandbabies will make your heart overflow with joy.
      Happy Mother's Day.

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  12. Yes Yanic, enjoy the ride and don't blink! ;)
    Happy Mother's Day.

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  13. Happy Mother's Day! You are right about blink and it's gone. I'm not sure how I'll cope with the leaving part... but I'm sure when the time comes I will :)

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    1. Happy Mother's Day to you too. Yes, I'm sure you will handle the leaving part with grace, that's what we as mama's do.

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  14. Oh don't blink is definitely the word - I blinked for a milisecond and now my biggest girl is 4 - which I know seems like a tiny blink in the grand scheme of things but it seems huge to me!

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  15. Very reassuring to read Tracy. My boys are only 10 and 6 but even at these ages there's little bits of their lives that I have to let go of - thought they'd be babies much longer!!!! - I'm trying not to blink....
    Happy Mothers Day.

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  16. tracey! i have missed you :) this is such a beautiful post. a side to mothering that i don't often think of. i see how it is already passing in a blink as you said. i love "granolie" my goodness that is absolutely fabulous :) you are a beautiful mama and grandmama :) excuse me... olie :)

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  17. I've got tears running down my cheeks after looking at your pictures and reading this post . . . my mothering journey is so near to yours: co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, homeschooling, rarely going anywhere without them; yes, motherhood has been my calling, and it is hard to let go now that they are growing up. But, I do look forward to grand babies someday! Wishing you a very Happy Mother's Day, Tracey. ♥

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  18. I love that Robert Munsch book. Had it since my little girl was born and still read it to her sometimes at 8 years old. I tease her often that I will be rocking her in a rocking chair in my lap when she's 30. She loves it! beautiful post.

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