Sunday, February 16, 2014

What Happens to a Mommie Blogger When The Kids Grow Up?

Confessions of a lonely mom-blogger.  

Maybe it is just me, or have any of you other moms noticed a perfect lack of blogging geared toward moms of teenagers? There's a ton for moms with small kids. I was there. I did it. I miss it. Seriously though, go back and see all the ideas. I think we did some brilliant stuff!

This week, my youngest turned 11.  I've been here on the blog for 5 years. I realized he wasn't the same kid of a few years back when instead of asking for cake, he asked for sugar-free gulten-free protein brownies


..and take-out artichoke pizza.  
The easy way was okay (actually delicious)...I just miss it all being "Just Mommie's homemade Stuff". 

He didn't want a birthday party. He wanted to go shopping with me for his latest hydroponic science project supplies.  

He also didn't want to hold my hand at the store. Even though I'd been holding those hands since the first time we met.
I didn't like that...at all...(insert sniffing and emotional blubbering here).

I miss posting about the cute kid mixing brownies wearing a homemade apron.

I miss Droopie diaper photo-shots...Though truth be known, I don't miss the inside mess of those diapers.
I miss posting about the adventures with our one-on-one play-dates.

I miss photo shots of gatherings of giggling adorable faces when friends came to cook. 

 Though truth be known, I don't miss cleaning up all the extra chaos.  Okay. Maybe cleaning up the brownie bowls was okay. 


I miss posting ideas for their birthday parties.  I miss making the clever crafts and nifty-do-dads.  I don't miss...the sleep I deprived myself of to keep up with the other gals in church who were doing the same.

The crazy-creative party this year was replaced with a quiet one-on-one lunch at his favorite restaurant with his publicly lame (unable to hold-her-hand at the grocery store yet still privately pretty cool) mom. 


In reality, I rarely see a single post on Pinterest about teenager birthday parties. Probably because nobody's kids want them to post them.  If it got back to any of their peers that they had a Lego-Batman party with a black-and-grey color scheme, it would kill their social life.  I'm okay with that. This year.  

Catching a glimpse.
Yesterday we went to a "joined birthday" for him and his 4 year old cousin.  It was such a blessing to have my sister-in-law just take over and plan it.  We showed up with pizza and soda...and one tween boy who I thought for sure was going to die of embarrassment.  Everything was decorated pink for his little girl cousin...and he didn't say a word.  I thought he'd be annoyed but he wasn't.  In fact, he sat really sweet and played really nice with all the cousins.  He had a great time.   He's such a doll.  I bawled all the way home...in my mind.
Why? 
Because somewhere in the middle of the chaos, there was still a moment of " Oh meee-gosh!!  Precious-cute"  There was still, sitting across the table from me, an adorable boy with a dimple...and a cake.  

Plus. I realized that someday, if I play my cards right and keep trying to be the mom who teaches this boy how to become a descent human being with values, character, and all the emotional stability of a gentleman...that someday, I will get to repeat the blogging, but with my grand-babies. 

 Hopefully later than sooner on the babies. I'm just trying to come to grips with them learning how to drive soon...and Little Man starting to shave.

So if it seems like I'm not posting as much about the kids, just realize that I'm now the mom of two little almost men who have grown into people who give-a-stink about what I post.  I'm trying to be their "safe place".  They want to make sure the pictures are not embarrassing. Note: I may never post a picture again of anything that mentions bodily functions or smell-bad socks.  Moms. You know I'm in the middle of all of that right? It just changed from diapers to deodorant. It changed from rattles and pacifiers to razors and pimple-cream. I don't know how it happened either, but I'm adjusting.  I think.


In all reality, though I knew in the back of my mind that it was supposed to happen, I just really have a hard time almost every single day, coming to grips with the fact that we're no longer this family...

That I'm not really living this reality anymore...

Or that life could ever really change as much as it has.

The one great joy in my life that will always be constant however, is the knowledge that we will always be a family.  
Bless my children's heart...they're stuck with me...No matter how weird that gets.

No matter what, I'll never ever regret what sacrifice it took to make those golden memories.  Even with an unsure future, there will always be memories of epic proportion. 
There it is.


Always My Very Best,
Your Friend Chef Tess



7 comments:

Chris Hash said...

Well, the reason why there are hardly any teenager blogging moms out there, is because the teenagers won't let you. They get v-e-r-y sensitive about what you share publicly. But teenagers can be great fun, too. Just a different kind of fun, and sometimes not as obvious or easy fun.

Shellee said...

My dearest longtime friend, life changes and sometimes we don't notice those changes until it smacks us in the face! I adore you and you have always done what was best for your family. I'm grateful that kids grow up, learn and have their own adventures. If you ever need to squeeze a baby, I know that Natalee would love it... Olivia would love it too!

Chris Hash said...

There are few teenager-mommy blogs because the teenagers get v-e-r-y sensitive about what you share publicly. But teenagers are lots of fun too. Just a different kind of fun - not as obvious or easy, like the little kids stuff, but still wonderful. It's great to watch them become grownup people that you can love as peer-to-peer friends.

Charlotte Moore said...

Where do all the years go? I am a mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. How can that be possible I wonder sometimes. Time keeps getting faster it seems.

emmers said...

You could not have echoed my sentiments more closely had I written this myself... feeling your pain and wondering... what will I be when I'm not..moooooOOOmm?! My baby just turned 18 and it's so hard to...slowly let go and let him fly.

emmers said...

You could not have echoed my sentiments more closely had I written this myself... feeling your pain and wondering... what will I be when I'm not..moooooOOOmm?! My baby just turned 18 and it's so hard to...slowly let go and let him fly.

Chef Tess said...

Chris, I agree. They are so fun as teens but they sure get super sensitive about what we share publicly...I love every stage of their life. Charlotte, I am in constant wonder at the passage of time. It flies on wings of lightening! Emmers...I love your little guy and it is almost as hard for me seeing that kiddo grow up as it is my own!