Signposts

Two events occurred yesterday, each of them significant and each of them passing by all too quickly. The first event occurred early in the morning as I bade Scooter (10) and Skeeter (7) goodbye. They rode their bikes to school for the first time. School is just under a mile away (too close for a bus ride), but that mile crosses two busy intersections and a major highway. So despite their increased skill at bike riding, Kadie and I were loathe to allow them to travel without adult supervision.

After asking constantly for the last month (like the guy in the Bible knocking on his neighbor's door) we let them go this morning. I waited a good 15 minutes or so before I slowly drove up to the school to check on their progress. When I arrived I immediately checked their bike rack to see that there bikes were there. I couldn’t see anything from the car, so I parked and walked up to the rack where their bikes were safely chained to one another and to the rack, just as I’d showed the girls. When they safely biked home in the afternoon I quizzed them incessantly (but with feigned nonchalance) about their rides to and from school. Their rides were blessedly uneventful.

The second event was even more insubstantial, but no less significant. I removed all the child locks from the cabinets in the kitchen. Squealer is 3 ½ now and is not quite so destructive (or at least, his destruction is more likely to be controlled, at least when cheese is not involved). Child locks are a pain, and we had been looking forward to getting rid of them. So I quickly removed them all. Later this evening I found myself, out of habit, reaching for the lock as I opened a cabinet door. It wasn’t there of course and I immediately felt a twinge of sadness. I miss it already. Squealer is (Lord willing) our last child, and I can now put away these locks for good.

I don’t want to get too maudlin or anything. In fact, with each of the kiddos I have consistently enjoyed them more and more each year. As they get older, you can relate to them mroe and more as miniature adults, little people instead of infants. While I miss some of the earlier days, I wouldn’t turn back the clock if I could. I love them more as they are than as they were.

But I also don’t want to let these little events pass by unnoticed. I would like to hammer down a little signpost here and there on this blog to note their passing. And maybe to speculate on what may be coming ahead. After all, don't signposts point to where you're going as well as where you've been?