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Saturday, October 1, 2011

Milestones

A bittersweet goodbye to the swingset

This isn't the actual one. Ours has been chop-sawed and stacked for hauling. We got it for Josh's second birthday. I remember teaching all the boys how to pump their legs. Pushing them until they  announced they no longer needed me. I remember Josh growing so big that the back legs would pop up if he was swinging too hard. When we moved cities, I begged to bring it along to our new yard to make the boys feel at home.

And then it happened....they outgrew it. I was walking the dog and kids to the new playground in our neighborhood and could see it from the path, the seats on the tete-a-tete broken and slanting sideways, slide halfway off. I have scarcely seen a boy actually swinging on it, rather banging on it with some improvised tool. So, coming back from the new playground with the good swings, asked my youngest son if we should take it down. Surprisingly, he said yes. Almost like it was a milestone for him growing older, he was eager to take it down. We made it a group project so I wouldn't feel like I was taking away their toy.

Next thing I know, we are discussing that the trampoline needs to be replaced and my younger son pipes up, "Lets take it apart!"  NO Way! Not so fast - I want to see my children bouncing out there for years to come. There's no such thing as outgrowing the trampoline and they better not try to grow up so fast......

What items have you laid to rest as your children grew?

1 comments:

  1. Oh, how bitter-sweet. Your babies are growing up so fast. I really miss them. Let's see what have we finally let go of that has been passed down and down and down . . .The Power Wheels Truck that all the boys have driven (the one Zach ran Joshua over with) . . .it hasn't charged in a couple years and the boys don't fit it it anymore. We bought it when Z was 1 and stored it for a year to give it to him for his 2nd bday. Now he's almost 14!

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