I remember when I was pregnant I would internally roll my eyes when people would say “they grow up so fast, don’t blink!”. I remember telling myself ‘of course they grow up, that’s the entire point of raising children’, for them to grow up and become adults. But then my son came into the world and a month passed, a year passed, and now we just celebrated his third birthday. For anyone who experienced my sass before, all I can say is I’m sorry.
As cliche as it is, you were all so incredibly right. You blink and they are growing up. I understand that he is only three and that we still have plenty of years and a ton of milestones to experience but if three years have gone by this quickly, I know the rest will too. I now have a new understanding and empathy for my Dad when I was giving birth and he said “My baby is having a baby!”
As a working mom, it’s no secret that most of us live with the nagging guilt regarding the moments we are missing with our children. It does go by so quickly. Although I thoroughly love my job and I hope that my son sees me making a difference and is inspired to respect and love strong women, there are plenty of times I wished I was with him rather than hitting the road for another work trip.
So in order to balance my love for my job with my love for my family, I made a resolution to myself to find the fun, have adventures, and make memories every chance we can. So yes, we have been to Disney five times so far, but that is part of our family’s way to make memories. And yes, my son has more frequent flier miles than some adults, but I want to have adventures with him and show him the world. But sometimes, I have to find a way to take advantage of the small moments I have with him.
A bedtime story may turn into fort building. A walk to the mailbox may result in tree climbing. A trip to Target may detour and become an opportunity for an impromptu hike. These moments are fleeting so I want to grab them and squeeze every drop of happiness out of them.
I recently decided to take a few days off of work and have a ‘stay-cation’ with my son and husband. We asked friends on social media for some suggestions for new things to do within the metro-Atlanta area. I got comments here and there along the lines of “just stay at home and relax”, and for some, that may be how they enjoy their time. We have plenty of time later in life to just sit around, so for now, I choose adventure.
Here are some of the highlights of our stay-cation:
- Fernbank Museum I can’t believe I thought my son was too young for Fernbank. We had an amazing time! He played in the indoor tree house, we saw an iMAX movie, he played with other kids his age on the playground, and we explored the outdoor nature trails. There was so much for him to do and he enjoyed every minute of it. We can’t wait to go back again.
- Top Golf My husband has never had much of an interest in golf, which I’ve been thankful for because of my friends’ stories about not seeing their husbands all weekend while they spend 6+ hours playing golf. But we decided to check out Top Golf as a family and it was one of the best days we’ve had! All of us enjoyed playing, the food was amazing, and they were so sweet to our son. We’ll definitely be going back again soon (especially when they have their $10 off promotions)
- Stone Mountain We are actually members of Stone Mountain so this wasn’t a new adventure for us but it never gets old. My son loves riding the train around the mountain. We usually ride it two or three times! We also love taking the lift to the top of the mountain. It’s a great view of the city skyline. There is so much to do and every trip always ends in a nice long nap!
We really enjoyed exploring our home. It was a great reminder of how much there is to do right in our own backyard. We laughed so much and made so many great memories. It’s always a great reminder to me in these moments to not blink. Because it is true. They grow up so fast and before you know it, they’ll be off having their own adventures without you. Let them be little and enjoy every minute.
