airborne

airborne 1On our way to errands. Listening to music. The girls in their carseats with books in their hands.

Suddenly, my 3-year-old says, "I wish I could fly."

I turn off the radio, "Me too. That would be fun. Where would you go?"

She answers, "To Disneyland or the forest or something."

I reply, "Wouldn't that be exciting? We'd fly right by the big airplanes and wave at the people inside."

"Yes," she says matter-of-factly, "Just like angels."

[I've never talked to her about angels before.]

Her words made me catch my breath because she is seriously growing up. 4 years old in less than 2 months!?! Before I blink, I know she'll be spreading her wings, wobbling out of the nest. Little by little. And I will - heart is thump-THUMPing - have to let go. Will I have taught her enough (about manners, math, hard work, happiness, laundry, languages, love, life...)? Talked to her enough? Listened to her intently enough? Will these "flying lessons" that I am giving her be enough to help her weather the storms ahead?

These questions linger in my mind as the city passes by my windows, as I sing the lyrics of a 90s song that is stuck in my head.

Today, she is dreaming about flying. Tomorrow - though she doesn't know it yet - she'll be in the air, flying all on her own...waving at me, smiling. Just like an angel.

How old is your oldest child? If you could have any "super power," what would you choose?

Leave a Reply to Amy Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

30 comments on “airborne”

  1. For those of you who that are followers of Supra and their Skytop form, we have a heal for you. Here we characteristic a two of Supra Trinity NS TUF’s, which characteristic a crackled cowhide construction.

  2. I always thought flying would be awesome, but it also depends on how you fly...like, do you have to flap or can you just soar like Superman? The power I'd most like to have, though, is the ability to teleport. I used to watch a show called "Out of this World." The main character, Evie (played by Maureen Flannigan), could "gleap" to other locations and from that day forward the idea of teleportation just sounded amazing. Taylor, who just turned five (a whole hand's worth of fingers!), says her favorite super powers are fire power and water power. She would start fires where they're needed, and put out bad fires with the water. :)

  3. My oldest is 4 & she wants to be a unicorn when she grows up (which i think is hysterical). actually, a magical unicorn if you want to be exact. PP wants to be "bigger and bigger" & talks about when she is "big" like me that she wants to take care of her sister. sooo cute!!!

  4. Jade is 7 but so often acts older so I have to remind myself she is ONLY 7.

    If I had a super power, it would have to be to replicate myself, so that I could work all day and be where I really want to be, with my little angels all day every day.

  5. I agree with Darcie! This is such a fabulous post! My oldest is 3 1/2 (have to include the half you know :-). It is amazing to watch them grow up...exhilarating, nerve wracking, exciting...so many things. There are times I look at both of my kiddos and wonder how and why time is going so quickly...but I am reminded to CHOOSE to live in the now and enjoy the moments with them -- in the good and the hard moments. I find myself thinking about what they will be like when they are older - will they love people well, change the world, be friends with one another? I look forward to seeing who they will become and how they will navigate the waters of life, but I don't want it to go to fast! Like you said, before we know it they will be spreading their wings, flying high...*sigh*

  6. Oh, how special! I just love it! How special that you are writing all these things down.

    My oldest is 10...wow...did I just say 10?!?!? I still can't believe how fast 10 years has gone by.

    I love every minute of it.

  7. My oldest is 21. Watching my son walk down the wedding aisle and sending my other son off to the Army (he's 19)stretched my mama's heart to it's breaking point(almost). The only other time I have felt so mournful was when my girls weaned themselves around 4 an 4 1/2. Same feelings.

  8. people tell you before you have kids that "having them" is soooo hard. what they don't tell you is that watching them grow up is even harder.

  9. oh stephanie!

    this post literally made me all teary. what a lovely memory for you to keep - thank you for sharing!!

    :-)
    jes

  10. My oldest will turn 4 in four months. My husband and I were just talking about this. What is it about four that suddenly makes them feel so old? I feel like at three I could still hang on to the baby part even if it was just a thread. But no way at four. The baby cheeks have faded. Their words are as clear as an adult's. Their steps, confident. Their personalities, all their own. Parenting, always and forever, is the most bitter sweet job in the world.

  11. i have three boys... my oldest is six and he'll be in first grade this school year. i cannot believe how fast time flies. seems like only yesterday i rocked him to sleep, sat with him in my arms on the couch, and watched him sleeping... memorizing his every feature.
    it is an amazing experience to watch my boys grow. like you, i hope that i will have listened to them, talked with them, played with them, and given them the life tools they'll need... because someday they'll fly right out of the nest. and i hope they'll soar high.
    as for a super power... i'd be able to teleport anywhere. and be able to take my family and stuff with me. this would be a great way to vacation ; )

    1. Teleportation! I forgot about that one! I would love that too. I'm a huge fan of traveling and visiting new places, but I'm *not* a huge fan of airplanes (icky seats, lack of fresh air, expensive tickets, confined spaces, etc.). ;)

  12. This post made *my* heart go thump Thumpthump. The most beautiful post you've ever written...if you ask me.

    1. Thank you, Darcie. That comment means a lot coming from you...the soon-to-be-published-and-famous writer. ;)

  13. Almost 19 months. Where did the time go? His language is on high speed development right now, with almost a new word every day (sometimes two). It's amazing.
    I wish I could figure out a way to have my house stay clean without my help. Kitchen, laundry, bathrooms... That would be amazing. Until then, I just live in a less than spectacular environment, and rely heavily on the help of my wonderful husband!

    1. My house would be a mess without Tim! He is so awesome about mopping, vacuuming, dish-washing, toilet-scrubbing, etc. Not a day passes that I don't think, "I am so glad I married such a hard worker!"

  14. We are not church goers - I wish we were but we just have not started yet (I usually think this on my long runs on Sunday morning as I pass the local churches.) But we do talk about God and Mikayla has a kids bible and my mom loves buying her Veggie Tales and she loves watching and reading them. She has recently wanted to start praying before dinner. I love that she came up with this on her own.

  15. I remember when my oldest was turning four and I was struck by how she was turning into such a 'big kid'. Now she's 9 - and my youngest is 4-1/2 and I'm watching the same transformation with her. It's crazy just how fast it all goes by - I can't believe my oldest is now halfway to 18!

    I think I'd like the superpower to slow down time. :)

  16. I want Mary Poppins' powers. (a) you can clean your house by snapping your fingers (b) you can pack all your possessions in one small bag (c) you can fly. It's the best combination of super powers ever!

    1. That's a good one, Jessica! Especially the "instant clean house part." ;)

      And she can fly too! Now if only she could be invisible too...!

  17. Great post! And, so true!!! It kindof happens right before your eyes. But, you just look at her oneday, when she says something clever or witty or intellegent far beyond her years, and wonder where that baby went. It's a wonderful thing to be a SAHM, I am, and get to witness all their ideas and discoveries firsthand. A true blessing, really.

    1. Agreed. I wouldn't have it any other way. Being home all-day, every-day is hard - SO HARD! - but the joys far outweigh the challenges.

  18. My oldest is 6. She'll be 7 in March (so not quite 6.5)

    She has grown up SO much in the last year, its hard to believe.

    If I had a super power, I think I'd want to be able to freeze/stop time. So I could enjoy things longer. But I wouldn't want it to stop completely

  19. You've hit the nail on the head when it comes to a big reason that I'm about to start staying home full-time. I feel as though I haven't had nearly enough time to listen to my little girl, and to show her the world and teach her things. Granted, she's a baby (at least for another 8 days...), but still, she needs someone on hand to explore everything with her, to talk to her and to dream with her. I'm so excited to be able to do that with her for this next year.

    1. Tiffany, I'm so happy for you and your decision. I don't think you'll regret it for a minute!

      Best wishes with your move to Chattanooga!

  20. My oldest is going to be ten in a month. She is transforming from a little girl to a young lady before my eyes. Everything is changing from the size of her feet, to the shine in her hair. I am starting to let her spread her wings. This summer she is allowed to ride her bike around the block rather than just in front of our house. Yesterday she made me coffee! As they grow you will be amazed how you are ready to let them go a little bit at a time. Give them the skills, the knowledge, the self-awareness and a little push sometimes and their accomplishments are simply amazing. Enjoy having a 4 year old. That is a time of wonder, discovery and joy!

MetropolitanMama - See The World, One City at a Time
©2024 Metropolitan Mama - All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram