I’ve written here before about how hard it is for me, at times, to watch my babies grow up.  I want them to grow and become independent, of course.  I love seeing the people they’re becoming.  But sometimes it’s hard to know that their time of needing me, really needing me, is winding down.

I’ve discovered, though, that there are also some wonderful things about kids getting older.  A few of my favorites:

* Laughter.  My son has a great sense of humor.  He gets our jokes, and we get his.  It’s so much different than his knock-knock stage!

* Travel.  When you travel with little kids, diapers, baby food, and naptime all come along.  With older kids your travel options blow wide open.  We’ve biked around an island, kayaked and snorkeled, we’ve hiked miles around Rome for goodness sakes:  older kids are up for the challenge.

* Playtime.  My kids still like to play family board games and want me to get into the pool, lake, or ocean with them.  But the all-the-time, hands-on, never-a-moment-for-yourself time dwindles significantly.  My kids will spend hours throwing a football or kicking a soccer ball with their friends in our yard.  My only responsibility:  provide the snacks.

* Built-in babysitting.  Enough said!

What would you add?