Do you remember?

As a parent sometimes I find myself asking that question.   Do you remember? And while we all know we would not give up our kids for anything, because really, where would we be and who would we be without them.... I sometimes like to pour salt into that wound of  yesteryear(s), and think...


Remember when Friday nights meant something? And not just the end of a work week, but the excitement of two whole days of social conventions? We all know Sunday was still a day of rest, ok recovery, who are we kidding here? But not a shakedown of all the household chores and duties we neglect during the week, because come 9'oclock we can barely keep our eyes open and can already hear the sound of our alarm.


Remember when shopping was a leisure activity? Not a mad dash around the perimeters of the store, sweating, wishing the shirt that you just spotted in your peripheral vision had been in that path 'cause dammit it looks cute and it might even fit around your flabby stomach. Funny how shopping at the mall, and shopping at Target are now one in the same, and don't even get me started on a solo shopping trip to the grocery store.... and without a list.That's as rare as finding a unicorn on sale at the pet store.


And do you remember when sleep wasn't a commodity? When sleep was the last priority on our list, by design,  and now you could fall asleep on the toilet instantly and be startled awake when you feel yourself falling but know that that five minutes just gave you your second wind. 


Sometimes I think it's good that we remember our glory days.  I think they give us a good laugh, a good lets-go-down-memory-lane conversation, but even more than that, a good perspective on this journey we call parenthood.  While we all have different experiences, I think in the long run we become more relatable to our kids.  We know the heartaches, and the triumphs, and we try and teach our kids where we went wrong and help them make better decisions for themselves. And I retract my earlier statement. These moments, the moments right here, they are our glory days.