Mommy moment…

Ladies, I need perspective.  Somehow I thought that when my eldest reached adulthood I’d have become comfortable enough in all of the stages of childhood that I wouldn’t feel like I hadn’t quite gotten my sea legs, but that isn’t the case. I am feeling so horribly out of phase at the moment that I’m not sure where I am on my journey part of the time.

OK, deep breath and some clarification.  My eldest, nearly 21 yo ds), has graduated from college as of December, my eldest dd is working and planning her path for advanced studies at the moment, and my youngest three daughters are in various stages… 16 yo shows such brilliant sparks of nearly adulthood sometimes that it takes my breath away and the next moment that spark dims and I quietly say a prayer, an almost 14 year old who vascillates at a much more accellerated rate between the two worlds of young adult and child, and my youngest who is 10 and is firmly still in childhood. I feel like the a comic strip character where the head is drawn looking from side to side so fast it could cause whiplash. The youngest feels slighted and wants attention as a child, but the eldest needs some guidance only in a totally different mode and presentation than the youngest while I hold my finger in the air to try to figure out which way the wind is blowing for my own orientation with the middle child before addressing her needs. 

Please tell me someone else has experienced this, and it will be ok.  I *know* it will, but for right now, I almost feel like the mom who just had her 3rd child and wonders how she’ll cope with three children and only two hands. Today has been quite a day of ups and downs, so encouragement, perspective, and any suggestions for this stage in life would be greatly appreciated.

Pax,

~jacqleene