We went on our first field trip with our co-op last week! We went to a farm and pumpkin patch. It was so much fun, and the girls had a blast!

I had a good time too. Didn’t get as many opportunities to talk to anyone as I would have liked. I needed to be constantly aware of what my little ones wanted to do and be available to follow their every whim as they played in the amusement area.

They were all over riding the carousel, then the little Ferris wheel.  Next they were off to the little go-cart/roller-coaster thing (I have no idea what to call it!). Then the petting zoo. K and E could have stayed there all day. So much fun!

Then there was the giant bouncy pillow and don’t forget the slide!

And lastly we got to pick our own pumpkins and gourds. Next year I know to bring gardening gloves and a bag to carry them!

As we were getting ready to leave I stopped to talk to a friend to confirm something she had told me earlier and said something like, “Must have been great for you since your girls are older.” (She has three girls too and the youngest is in fourth grade.)

Her answer stopped me in my tracks.

“No, I prefered it when they were younger.”

“Really, but you didn’t have to run this way and that.”

But she had walked around without her girls. They had all run off in their own directions to hang out with their friends. And she had gone to feed the animals in the petting zoo by herself. Sure she had had more opportunities to sit around and talk with other moms, but she hadn’t been with her girls.

That hit me hard.

Am I wishing these little years away?

Am I taking the time to be with them and enjoy these experiences with them?

Or am I just trying to get through?

Did I pause to enjoy their excitement?

Or did I hustle them along to the next thing so I could see someone I knew?

Honestly, it was a little of both today.

I really did enjoy being with them. The look on E’s face when she went climbed up all twenty-so steps to the top of the giant slide and then the look on her face when she came out at the bottom – Priceless!

Helping K pull out the biggest pumpkin she could find, even though it was under a bunch of vines (ouch! those things are prickly!) was totally worth it.

But there were a few moments that I just was there and didn’t engage as much as I could have…

I don’t want to miss this. They are only little for a time.

I know, we hear it all the time. Time flies. Enjoy them while you can. They grow up so fast. Don’t blink.

But seriously. Don’t. These days… these very… very, very long days will be gone before we know it.

No matter what stage of life your kids are in, soak it in. Pause your ambitions and really listen to their sweet little voices even if they are telling you the stupidest knock-knock joke of all times. Take the time to ask them what their favorite part of the day was. Just enjoy the moments with them. Make eye contact and engage.

If you’re anything like me this is hard. I’m an introvert. I live in my head, so this takes a concerted effort. But it’s necessary. That doesn’t mean I have to be constantly engaged, I have to recharge at some point, but I have to remember to check in, not out, a few times a day. And not just during school. I have to remember that I am not just her teacher; I was her mommy first. He was your child long before he was your student.

This field trip was not about me getting to know the other moms better. That’s a bonus. This was about them. This was for them.

They had a blast, and I did too!