Vacationing without my entire clan of children is not something I look forward to doing. Time is moving so fast and spending any minute I can with them right now is my priority. However, because everyone is getting older, commitments are interfering with the flexibility I once had with them. Long gone are the days of one child having an event and the rest of them being able to tag along. Jobs, college, sports, etc., are just a few of the conflicts that have interrupted the old flow of things. Nevertheless, change is inevitable and although I find myself trying to resist it, when I finally do accept it, things are normally better than what I expect.
This summer my daughter's dance studio was invited to go to Wildwood, New Jersey for dance nationals. And even though the thought of going without all of my kids kind of dampened my full excitement to watch her dance, it is a lovely place and beautiful beach that I don't mind sticking my toes in!
(as an aside; I'm sure my older kids felt the opposite and were excited about me going and not nagging them to make their beds and get up before noon! But, for my own well being and in this post, I'm letting myself believe they were equally sad.)
The days in Wildwood were gorgeous and the company was great. Dancing was only part of the fun, and while my daughter shared giggles with her friends at the beach and on rides, I enjoyed conversations with the other moms. I didn't realize until I got in the car and chatted with my good friend for the 6 hours it took us to get there, (yeah, that's right, we talked for 6 HOURS straight!) that my daughter and I equally needed this time away together.
Sometimes I forget because of the age difference between Addy and her older siblings that she doesn't get the continuous interaction with them anymore that she loves. But, having the two of us branch off together was a gift and taking a break from my daily mom routine of four and just focus on one was a nice change. And had I resisted that change, she and I wouldn't have made the "dance connection" that we both craved.
