How Many Summers do You Have Left?

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As I was browsing around through my blog list the other day, catching up on craft ideas and home décor trends, I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. The blogger, known as The Nester, posed a simple question. “How many summers do you have left?”

Hmmm, how many summers does one have? Well for a summer to truely be a summer, kids must be involved. So I counted. My oldest daughter will be starting first grade in August. So with her, I will have 12 summers before she leaves home to go to college. And for my little one, well we still have a lot together, but when I counted, it came to 15.

When you count something, from start to end, it seems a little sad.  Because you see a definite end in sight. An end to something that seems like it should be endless. I will only get to plan beach vacations, camps, and lazy days by the pool about 15 more times. I will only get to take them in pjs to get donuts 15 more times.  Only 15 more times and then the days of summer reading at the library are over. After that, my girls will outgrow our little summer activities. Then they will be off at college pursuing jobs, classes, and probably boyfriends.

But then it dawned on me, the best thing about knowing there will be an end, is that is makes you appreciate the here and now.

And here and now, with this hot weather and these long days, I need a reminder that these are the good times. These are the times that we will talk about long after they are gone. These are the times that will be permanently etched in my mind. My girls, little together. Summer days when those two long legged girls scramble in our bed early in the morning, giggling and smiling. These are the days when they proudly wear their princess dresses for early morning walks around the neighborhood. These are the days when they would rather be home playing with mom and dad, then off with friends. And if I only have 15 or so of these summers left, then I want to cherish each one.

Because time does go by too quickly. And there is nothing more special than those brief years when everyone is living together under one roof.

How many summers do you have left?

This article was originally published on North Texas Kids - which has a newly updated website that is easy to navigate and is a great resource for families. Stop by and check it out!