Biker Babe and sentimental thoughts

Not too long ago, Carli came to me and said, "I want to ride my bike without the funky wheels on the back." and I said, "so ride your bike without the funky wheels on the back." We went out side and took the training wheels off, and away she rode. It was that easy. No crying, she never even fell. If only I could get her to wear something besides the swimming suit every once in a while.I guess that is only a problem if she is still doing it when she is 16.
I'm having a hard time with the fact that she's going to be six soon. The one thing that I didn't know when I became a mom was that when everyone said, "they grow up so fast" they really mean it. It's an experiential thing though. You can't possibly describe what it's like to watch your child walk, and talk and run away from you faster than you're ready for them to. I am so proud of my kids, and of the people they are going to be (in spite of all my mistakes I've made with them). And yet, I wish I could hear that belly laugh of Aaron's one more time. I wish Zacky would growl and giggle just one more time. I wish I could go back to the first time Carli gave me a butterfly kiss. There will still be a lot of firsts in their lives, so why are the baby ones the most significant? Is it because we try so hard to cling to something that we can't possibly hold? I think maybe it is because when we become parents most of us are still trying to figure out our own lives, marriages, careers and identities, and by the time we get it, we look up and there is a young man standing where our baby used to be.
Some of the best parenting advice I have ever been given came from a customer at the Breakfast Club the other morning. We were talking about having older kids and he said, " the one thing you have to remember with teenagers is that they need you to never change, because they are going to-dramatically so and often. " If only I could articulate how very much they have changed me for the better.