Downsizing

Have you noticed that when your kids are litte you still have your "pre-kid" friends? You still host (and attend) parties, you still participate in your own hobbies?
As your kids get older, you find yourself downsizing to make room for their events. Your parties give way to supervising their parties. Your hobbies give way to attending their games, meets, matches and events. They don't come with you to your stuff, you go with them to their stuff. Is it any wonder that parents with recent empty nests have that shell-shocked look about them? I guess it takes about as much time to revert back from a "child-centric" life as it took to get there.
What brought this on? I'm downsizing my activities. I'm giving up a few things that take up a lot of my time and energy in order to do two things: recover from my surgery (it's taking longer than I expected) and spend more time with Daniel before he actually starts Kindergarten in the fall. There are things I want to do with him this summer, and it means carving out the space in my life. The beauty of it is, I know how grateful he already is for the time we spend together. I expect the rewards for my change will be even greater for me.
--Misty