This morning I was putting aside clothes that I had noticed were getting too small for my growing kids and I was trying to think through who needs new what. There's a lot of growing out of clothes going on at our house. It made me think back to my middle school days. (Ug.) As an already insecure thirteen year old, I hit a significant growth spurt and it felt like in one summer I went from being an average size seventh grader to being as tall as my dad and definitely taller than every boy in my grade. It was awkward. Growing is awkward. It took me a while (like some painful teenage years) to get used to being tall and to feel comfortable and coordinated and beautiful. I felt out of sorts and down about myself and unhappy with who I was. It would have been better if I could have somehow celebrated the fact that I was tall and beautiful, accepted the change, and been patient with myself as it took time to fit into how I had grown. (that's a lot to expect from a thirteen year old though.) The funny thing is that this morning I was thinking back about those feelings and I realized, growing is still awkward. At least for me. I have been feeling a little out of sorts lately and somewhat uncoordinated at handling life, and I realized--I think I am experiencing an inner growth spurt. Life is changing, my family is changing, I am changing and growing. I am fitting into new roles and the roles I already fill are requiring different things of me. It happens over and over in life--change that causes us to grow. It's uncomfortable and sometimes painful, and when I'm feeling like my daily efforts are less than graceful, I feel down about myself. However, growing stronger and taller and more capable is a beautiful thing even though the process is not always. In conclusion, I have decided that I will try to learn from some of those teenage years and celebrate and accept and be patient with myself as I fit into how I have grown. Those are my deep thoughts from folding laundry.
And here are some pictures of us.
Yes, that's a potty chair she's sitting on, congratulations are in order. Four potty trained children. I thought it would never be.
