Daily Draw - Six of Cups

A crowd of younglings gathers round the makeshift stage. An epic battle between good and evil is played out between the puppets. The children clap their hands and squeal in delight. The smallest one seems taken aback, awed by what he is seeing on stage. Children do not have the ability to always distinguish fantasy from reality, and for that matter, sometimes, neither do adults.

My kidkins are needing me. My BabyDoll has been whiny and out of sorts, and Little Big Man is trying so hard to figure out who he is and where he fits in as Floppy Hair straddles the cusp of boyhood and being a man. They are so disparate in age, and it is difficult to find activities they all enjoy to do together. One thing that still sticks is movies, of almost any genre, although they all love fantasy. I think we will make it a movie night tonight, forgoing dinner for popcorn and candy, piled on the sofa and floor companionably, like a heap of warm puppies. Those are the kinds of good memories I want my moppets to cultivate, and have for when times get rougher for them.

So many times, I wish I could freeze time, keep them from growing so fast, keep their hands small and pudgy, sticky with whatever it is that toddlers leave a trail on any surface they touch. It won't be long before I am only "Mom", mo more Mommies or Mommas coming from their sweet voices.

Well, I've been afraid of changing,
because I built my life around you.
But time makes bolder,
children get older,
and I'm getting older, too...

~Stevie Nicks

I am feeling that today! But all I can do is do the best I can, and that best is raising them to be compassionate, thinking human beings, and hopefully they are walking away with a flood of good memories as well.