Threedom, Threenager, Threenado (Or The first of the "lasts")

“Having children is like living in a frat house - nobody sleeps, everything's broken, and there's a lot of throwing up.” ― Ray Romano

I can't help but think that it must be really hard to be three.  I mean, something that mama laughs at one minute becomes annoying as hell the next.  How are you supposed to know when your tricks stop being funny? All these mommy bloggers write about how damn crazy their three year old is, but those three year olds sit around thinking "Well, duh, you made me this way. What did you expect? I'm just as crazy as you are." You want to be really independent (and clearly any child of mine could be a bit headstrong) but you haven't refined control of your limbs or mastered motor skills quite yet. You are very emotional and your feelings can get hurt quite easily. Your parents are raising you the best they can, but they have no idea what the world we be like when you're ready to spread your wings. Three year olds experiment with fibs and thrive on manipulating any unwitting soul for whatever is their heart's desire. And three is still just the very, very beginning.

As a mama, I can look back on the last three years and mark them with so many "firsts" it makes my head spin. First smile, first solid food, first little tooth, first stumbling steps, first hair cuts (complete with saving the first curls), first word.... first trip to the Zoo, first time on a plane, first overnight stay at grandma's, first friends, first fibs, first timeouts, first pee-in-the-potty, first night in a big boy bed. And then, over the past week, I found myself marking a bunch of "lasts" with Cameron. Last day at daycare, last Wednesday spent in the care and spoiling of Grandma Gigi, last "fun friday" with me...... because my little boy is going off to pre-school. He keeps asking if he's leaving for college tomorrow (Thanks a lot, Toy Story 3). God help me, if the next fifteen years go by as quickly as the last three years, I am going to be the clingiest mother EVER come freshman year. Brian will have to lock me in the car when we take Cam to the dorms.

I am excited for him to start at a new school and make new friends. I am excited for this first.  But I can't shake the bittersweet shadow of how fast it all goes. I could definitely do without more "lasts" for awhile (unless it's the last temper tantrum.... I'll take that "last" any day :).


“I sometimes wake in the early morning & listen to the soft breathing of my child & I think to myself, this is one thing I will never regret & I carry that quiet with me all day long.” ― Brian Andreas


“When you take the time to actually listen, with humility, to what people have to say, it's amazing what you can learn. Especially if the people who are doing the talking also happen to be children.”
― Greg Mortenson