Adult-Size

It's kept hitting me between the eyes over the last six months or so:
Everything in my house is adult-size. Everything.

Shoes.
Shirts.
Shampoo bottles.
Dishes.
Bodies.
Appetites.
Senses of humor.
Conversations.
TV viewing.
Bedtimes.

It's all BIG now;
grown-up.
Adult-size.

I have to THINK now, when I'm folding laundry,
which t-shirts and socks are Jim's;
they're all the same size (well, I guess Nate's are a bit bigger).

If the kids' friends are over, that batch of cookies or brownies
might last 24 hours,
provided I remember to set aside a little
for tomorrow's school lunches.

Non-essential items in cupboards and closets have had to find new homes
to make room for bigger shoes,
bigger clothes,
more food.

TV shows that used to be too scary are now
family viewing.

The night-owl children in my house
frequently outlast me
and THEY send ME to bed.

Dinner conversations are forums for
adult-size opinions,
views on world events,
and processing about the people and situations around us.

And the shampoo...
My kids all LIKE to be clean - even the boys.
Daily, there are seven showers taken in our home.
Yes, my boys each take a shower before and after schoool.
Does this cost more? Absolutely. But I'm not arguing...
I think it's a small price to pay for them to feel good!

Some days all this adult-sizedness boggles my mind.

At some mundane moment,
like when I open the door of the entryway closet
and am searching for space to put my shoes
because we just can't fit so many pairs in there anymore,
it will hit me...

How did we get HERE?
How did we get
from those scrawny helpless newborns
TO THIS:
Teenage drivers,
electric guitars,
GPAs,
jobs,
picking colleges,
discussions about life, love, faith and futures.

And how on earth did it go SO FAST?

It's a humbling thing for my household to be adult-sized.
I realize at the same time how much,
and how little,
influence I have as the mom.

I'm profoundly grateful for the God whom, I know without doubt,
holds my children in the warm, wise circle of His embrace.

No matter how big they grow.