President Monson's talk made me think of this. It's from a talk by Lucille Johnson (author unknown) that I've always found to be very profound.

Why Don't You Kids Grow Up?

One of these days you'll shout, "Why don't you kids grow up and act your age?" and they will.

Or, "You guys get outside and find something to do," and they will.

"Don't slam that door!" and they won't.

You'll straighten the boys' room neat and tidy, discard the gum and the candy wrappers, pick up the dirty socks and stack the toys on the shelves, make the beds, sweep the floors, and yell, "Now, I want this room to stay like this." and it will.

You'll prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't been been picked to death and bring out a cake with no finger marks on the icing, and then you'll sit down to a beautiful table with everything in its place and say, "Now this is a meal fit for company!" and you will eat it alone.

You'll say, "I want some quiet around here--shut off that TV, turn down that radio, quit banging around, quit fighting; I want some privacy!" and you'll have it.

No more plastic table cloths stained with spaghetti and no more dirty bedspreads; no more plastic sheets to protect the mattresses from wet bottoms. No more toys on the floor to fall over and no more school books on the table. No more dirty rings in the bathtub; no stopped up sinks; and no washer over-run. No more shirts burned with ironing marks or bubble gum in the blankets.

No more anxious nights under a vaporizer tent. No more colic, diarrhea, whooping cough, runny nose, wet clothes or colds. No more sand in the bed or food on the rugs or marks on the wall, dirt on the furniture, paint on the windows; no more smashed fingers.

Imagine, no more ironed patches, wet knotted shoe strings, lipstick with a point on it, no more odd socks that don't match. No babysitter on New Year's Eve. Imagine, seeing a steak that isn't ground. No PTA meeting; no Back to School Nights; no more cavities; no more car pools.

Think about it, no more broken toys on Christmas Day. No more gifts for you made of toothpicks or library glue. No more sloppy, oatmeal kisses. No more giggles in the dark. No more scraped knees. No responsibility.

Only a reflective voice crying out, "Why don't you kids grow up?" and the silence echoing, "We have."

*sob*

After I heard this the first time, I tried very hard to keep it in mind when I would get frustrated with all the little vexations of raising a family. I tried to enjoy the moments as I was experiencing them. I don't know what the kids think of their childhood, but I certainly enjoyed raising them.

It's been the highlight of my life to be a mom.

Of course, that being said, since I worked really hard to enjoy it while my kids were growing up, I'm now really enjoying the time afterward. It's fun to see them making their own lives, raising their own children, and spending time together as an ever growing family (growing in a different way now).