The first in a series

One of the best parts of having kids is getting the chance to see the world like a child again. You know, there is a big span of time between being a child and then having a child of your own (well, hopefully it's a big span of time...do you hear that, Back Seat Girl?).

Adults tend to run through life thinking of things to accomplish, to see only what they are looking for, while children for the most part let life happen to them. They go to the park to play on the swings, but what if you see a bunch of flowers on the way? What if someone is walking a dog and they stop to let you pet it? Hey, look! Something shiny! You get the point. One of the hardest things for me to get used to after BSG became mobile was the fact that running errands was no longer going to be something I did in an hour in the morning. It was going to take a while, but it was going to be fun! I was going to see and notice things I would never see or notice if she wasn't along. Walking to the park was no longer just a way to get to our destination--now getting there was half the fun.

It's gotten to the point now where I don't really like to run most errands without at least one of them along. I've finally realized that this is a part of my life where maybe things will take longer, but they will be a hell of a lot more fun. Now I let Back Seat Boy push the little cart at the grocery store while we pick up a few things for dinner. It takes FOREVER to get just a few things, but we do a whole lot of laughing along the way. I know that in a few years I'll be rushing through the grocery store at break-neck speed, doing a whole week's worth of shopping in the time it takes to pick up some ingredients for supper now, and thinking wistfully back to these days when every errand was an adventure. It wasn't just grocery shopping...it was a field trip. The dry cleaners isn't just the dry cleaners, it's that super cool place we bring our sleeping bags after camping trips and watch them spin around in the big machine, where one time Shrek was on the giant TV in the corner, where there is a vending machine and mom actually bought treats for us out of it.

Hopefully, even after they grow up a little and don't want to run errands with their mom because *gasp* what if someone they know sees us, I'll still be able to take time to notice the little things along the way. That's one of the many things my children have taught me.