When a tent’s not just a tent

Tonight, my baby’s playroom became a toddler’s playroom.  My youngest brother and his wife are giving Oscar his first play tent for Christmas.  It’s a space station, complete with four tunnels.  At its widest span, it measures 12 feet. Insane – oh, and did I mention that it’s 12 feet of shiny polyester?  Truly hideous, but he’s going to LOVE it.  I began this project with not a little trepidation, but ultimately, it wasn’t that bad.  I think it took me about an hour to put the entire thing together.  And I did it without using any profanity at all.  Yep, I know you’re all impressed. That’s not the story here, though.

Ever notice how the most mundane tasks are sometimes the ones where you have the most profound thoughts? OK, so that didn’t really happen here tonight, but something less than profound did occur to me.  I’m not so sure I’m ready for Oscar to stop being my baby.  I got him only nine months ago, and he’s already a full-blown little boy.  What brought it home was that I had to get rid of his gymini in order to make room for the tent.  It truly bothered me.     

Don’t get me wrong.  I know he has to grow up, but I feel like it’s happening way too fast.  I know that all moms feel the same way.  I just didn’t expect to feel this way myself.  Not at this point, at least.  I had originally wanted to adopt a toddler instead of an infant, so shouldn’t I be happy that he’s getting to that stage now?  It’s all so crazy. I’ve gone from utter frustration in assembling a Christmas present to mourning the loss of my child’s infancy in the course of two hours.  What’s going to happen tomorrow when I put together my other brother’s gift? 

December 22, 2008 - Posted by Oscar and Etta's mom | Oscar, Parenting, Single mothers