What Is, What Will Be, What We’ll Miss

There’s a certain kind of day we’re living in right now. The kind filled with sticky fingers and missing shoes, morning cartoon negotiations and bedtime bribery. The kind where your coffee is cold and your patience runs hot, and you think to yourself, Is it bedtime yet?

These are the days.

The days that drain you… but also define you.
The ones you’ll ache for when they’re gone.

---

The Day Starts With Someone Climbing Into Your Bed

Usually my son has already stumbled in around 3am, and then my daughter comes crawling in with the baby that she snuck out of his crib. She tries to put on the “I’m just doing this for the boys” face, but I also know, in her mind, she loves feeling little, and always needs her Mama.

So….you’re not sleeping in. Not now. Not for years.

But one day, your bed will be quiet. No tiny feet. No sleepy snuggles. No sticky hands reaching for your cheek whispering, “Mama, are you awake?”

You’re going to miss that. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself every morning at 5am.

---

The Noise, the Mess, the Constant Everything

The spilled cereal. The shoes in the wrong bin. The endless chorus of “MOM!” echoing through the house like a broken intercom system.

Right now it feels like too much. But one day, it will feel like a memory you’d give anything to revisit. The mess meant they were here. That life was full. That love lived out loud.

You’ll miss yelling “Please stop wrestling!”
You’ll miss the forts in the living room.
You’ll miss stepping on Legos and cursing under your breath.

Okay… maybe not the Legos. But still.

---

The Questions Never Stop

The 5-year-old wants to know how dinosaurs slept and why snakes don’t have feet. The 7-year-old wants to talk about why people cry when they’re happy and get the most up to date weather forecast. The toddler? He mostly just asks for snacks.

And you’re tired. You’re so tired.

But one day, they won’t ask for your opinion about everything. One day, they’ll figure things out without you. And that’s what you want… right?

Still. You’re going to miss having all the answers—even when you’re Googling them on your phone behind their back.

---

The Chaos is the Good Stuff

It doesn’t feel like it now. It feels like just getting through the day.

But one day, the house will be quiet.
You’ll fold laundry without three extra bodies jumping on the bed.
You’ll go to Target without bribing anyone.
You’ll clean the kitchen and it will stay clean for more than seven minutes.

But the silence will be strange.

And the quiet might echo a little.

And you’ll realize…
These were the days.

---

These Are the Days They’ll Remember, Too

The bedtime books.
The bubble baths.
The driveway chalk art.
The car rides singing loud and off-key.
The way you held them even when you were exhausted.

They won’t remember if you made organic lunches or wore real pants. They’ll remember how it felt to be loved by you.

And you’ll remember that too.

One day, we’ll trade in sticky hugs for grown-up goodbyes. But not yet. Today, they’re still ours.