We Went. We Saw. We Conquered?

When my kids were young, people told me, "It will fly by. Enjoy them while you have them. Treasure these days. They grow so fast." I didn't believe them. My life felt out-of-control and purposeless. I seemed to spend every day chasing after two energetic boys who seemed to never listen or sit still, but who always wore me out. I longed for the day when will life would become a little more manageable? 

As far as my kids are concerned, the manageable life has come to me. But, ironically I find myself wishing for their younger days. The days they wanted to cuddle and called my name because they needed me. I NEVER thought I'd miss being needed, but I am. 

These guys are becoming their own people; courageous, caring, adventurous and smart young men. They need me, but in a different way. I feel like I've shifted from all-knowing mom to maybe Coach Mom. So I've decided that instead of becoming insecure, instead fading out or wasting these years, I'm going to make an effort to stay relevant. I want to make it hard for them to not want to hang with their dad and me.

They need to become their own people, to make their own friends, but I want to keep our family memories rolling. I want to do things they will never forget, and perhaps carry on in their friendships, and later if they start their own family. I don't want to lose touch with who they are becoming, and I know this will take time and effort; efforts that will surely challenge me more than them. 

So, this May, Clayton and I decided to take the boys on a trip to the Grand Canyon. We took this trip before we had kids and loved it so much, we promised ourselves that when we thought our kids were old enough, we'd take them as well. So we saved up and took a once in a lifetime adventure with our kids. 

We hiked down 10 miles and met up with our rafting company who took us down the river for 5 days. We rafted and camped isolated from civilization for a week. Yep it was challenging. But, let's look on the bright side. One night, a sandstorm invaded our camp giving me a free face exfoliation. I didn't have to do my hair or make-up for a week because I didn't bathe. I overcame my fear of scorpions by hunting for them at night with a blacklight. How many of you received these wonderful blessings last month?

In all seriousness, the bright side is that we made unforgettable memories and drew closer to one another. I'm not getting any younger, so why not adventure now? Why not make memories so that when I am 90 years old I can get my grandchildren to stream our photos to the television talk about our insane, fun, and goofy adventures?

I want to give them the gift of being brave and bold in new and different ways. I want them to be proud of taking on the Canyon at 10 and 13. We can talk about how we went, we saw, and we didn't quite conquer (because who can conquer the Grand Canyon). However, we did go in and we made it out! 

I wonder what memories you will make this summer! It doesn't have to be as dramatic as hiking the Grand Canyon, but do something different. Challenge yourself and your family and see what crazy memories originate from being carefree!

© 2016 by Sharie King.  All rights reserved.