This one made me misty! If I ever give up my Lastenrad I imagine I'll feel the same way. Also intrigued by the Teff brownie, husband is gluten intolerant so I imagine they will be appreciated!
Beautiful reflections Luisa. Really thrumming along over here since my daughter also just turned 12 and is about to leave elementary school and go to a whole new -- much bigger -- school further away. She's ready though. I've realized I'm probably more emotional about it than she is! Parenthood is a trip.
This is my favorite brownie recipe, and I’m glad you’re sharing it because more people need to know about it. It’s my go to dessert when we have guests -it’s perfect with a little whipped cream.
My oldest is 17 and youngest 14, and as they age, I also go through these feelings of surprise (it happened so fast), and like you, bittersweetness. And I totally agree, I also get this sense of growing freedom. My kids are out of the house more with friends (sometimes I feel like it’s necessary to schedule time with my 17 yo to spend time with her! She’s so busy.), and I have more time for introspection and focus on my hobbies and job. It’s nice to have time to connect to the original me. You know what’s interesting is how I’ve become more comfortable with the idea of my daughter going off to college. It used to bring me to tears. There’s this natural progression I’m going through, gradually getting used to her independence and focusing on mine. It’ll be an exciting new phase in our lives.
Yay, I'm so glad you agree! As for the going off to college thing, that really resonates - it is unimaginable when they are little that they will ever leave you, but then, as time goes on and they become their own people, you begin to realize that it is the natural and correct way of things for them to fly the coop. Amazing! (Not that it isn't going to be hard to say goodbye!)
Happy birthday Hugo! We are about to give away Livia’s stroller and my feelings are ambivalent at the moment. She is growing up so fast, and I thoroughly enjoyed our walks along the country roads together. On the other side, I can’t wait to see her personality bloom and walk with her along the same roads. Aldo very curious about teff flour!
This is a beautiful post. As they say, the days are long and the years are short. That “front row seat” you mention is indeed one of the great pleasures of parenthood. I’m further down the road than you, my sons are in their 30s, and I can report from here that there is (nearly) as much joy being a grandparent (my fourth grandchild was just born) as in being a parent. You can pour just as much love into these little ones (they feel almost like your own children), and someone else (whom you also love) gets to do most of the hard work. Is it very hard sometimes? Of course it is, we’re dealing with humans here, but my god, such joy.
I remember I had my baby not long before yours. Here in Australia she has already started high school, and your reflections are so true. I am loving seeing who she is becoming. Her 13th birthday is in October. I wonder if I can get her to try baking brownies herself?
This hits home for sure! With two teens and one tween, this has been a year with some newfound freedom. At first, my boys becoming teens filled me with a lot of nostalgia and some sadness. I felt I was grieving the loss of these little people who I knew so well and the changes felt startling at first. Now that I’ve settled into this new phase, it does feel wonderful to watch them morph into new iterations of themselves and to rediscover myself again! And to have the time to read more and reconnect with writers like you! It was wild to look at your post when Hugo was born and read the comment I wrote back then. Motherhood is a journey.
I read this post when it originally came out but have thought of it often as I have now purchased and am about to install a bike seat for my 1-year old daughter to make Kita drop offs faster. With another baby on the way I know I will be deep in the intensity of motherhood for the next several years, and it is hard to imagine peeling those dependencies back and claiming more freedoms again. Thank you for your beautiful story.
This one made me misty! If I ever give up my Lastenrad I imagine I'll feel the same way. Also intrigued by the Teff brownie, husband is gluten intolerant so I imagine they will be appreciated!
Beautiful reflections Luisa. Really thrumming along over here since my daughter also just turned 12 and is about to leave elementary school and go to a whole new -- much bigger -- school further away. She's ready though. I've realized I'm probably more emotional about it than she is! Parenthood is a trip.
It really is, isn't it?
This is my favorite brownie recipe, and I’m glad you’re sharing it because more people need to know about it. It’s my go to dessert when we have guests -it’s perfect with a little whipped cream.
My oldest is 17 and youngest 14, and as they age, I also go through these feelings of surprise (it happened so fast), and like you, bittersweetness. And I totally agree, I also get this sense of growing freedom. My kids are out of the house more with friends (sometimes I feel like it’s necessary to schedule time with my 17 yo to spend time with her! She’s so busy.), and I have more time for introspection and focus on my hobbies and job. It’s nice to have time to connect to the original me. You know what’s interesting is how I’ve become more comfortable with the idea of my daughter going off to college. It used to bring me to tears. There’s this natural progression I’m going through, gradually getting used to her independence and focusing on mine. It’ll be an exciting new phase in our lives.
Yay, I'm so glad you agree! As for the going off to college thing, that really resonates - it is unimaginable when they are little that they will ever leave you, but then, as time goes on and they become their own people, you begin to realize that it is the natural and correct way of things for them to fly the coop. Amazing! (Not that it isn't going to be hard to say goodbye!)
Umm…did I misread the recipe? Don’t see the cocoa in the list of ingredients
It was missing in the original email—my apologies!—and has since been fixed here.
Oops! Just found it. Ageing eyes
Happy birthday Hugo! We are about to give away Livia’s stroller and my feelings are ambivalent at the moment. She is growing up so fast, and I thoroughly enjoyed our walks along the country roads together. On the other side, I can’t wait to see her personality bloom and walk with her along the same roads. Aldo very curious about teff flour!
This is a beautiful post. As they say, the days are long and the years are short. That “front row seat” you mention is indeed one of the great pleasures of parenthood. I’m further down the road than you, my sons are in their 30s, and I can report from here that there is (nearly) as much joy being a grandparent (my fourth grandchild was just born) as in being a parent. You can pour just as much love into these little ones (they feel almost like your own children), and someone else (whom you also love) gets to do most of the hard work. Is it very hard sometimes? Of course it is, we’re dealing with humans here, but my god, such joy.
Congratulations on 4 grandchildren!!
Happy birthday Hugo! Hoch soll er leben!!!
so where's the cocoa in this recipe?
It has been fixed - see above!
Oof, I teared up! My daughter is two, so very much in the baby seat on bike phase, but a beautiful glimpse into the future, thank you.
I remember I had my baby not long before yours. Here in Australia she has already started high school, and your reflections are so true. I am loving seeing who she is becoming. Her 13th birthday is in October. I wonder if I can get her to try baking brownies herself?
Plot twist! 😉❤️
This hits home for sure! With two teens and one tween, this has been a year with some newfound freedom. At first, my boys becoming teens filled me with a lot of nostalgia and some sadness. I felt I was grieving the loss of these little people who I knew so well and the changes felt startling at first. Now that I’ve settled into this new phase, it does feel wonderful to watch them morph into new iterations of themselves and to rediscover myself again! And to have the time to read more and reconnect with writers like you! It was wild to look at your post when Hugo was born and read the comment I wrote back then. Motherhood is a journey.
I loved this, Luisa. Congrats to Hugo! My youngest graduated high school this week.
Time goes by so fast. Enjoy every moment.
I read this post when it originally came out but have thought of it often as I have now purchased and am about to install a bike seat for my 1-year old daughter to make Kita drop offs faster. With another baby on the way I know I will be deep in the intensity of motherhood for the next several years, and it is hard to imagine peeling those dependencies back and claiming more freedoms again. Thank you for your beautiful story.