Monday, June 12, 2006
Change
I had a strangely emotional yet very satisfying weekend. The reason is that we tackled a big job that needed doing. We changed the kids' bedrooms so that the older children (girl and boy) are no longer sharing a room and the little one (girl) is no longer alone in a room. Now the 2 girls are sharing and my son has a room to himself. This was a big job, involving furniture moving but also cleaning, sorting and transferring wardrobes, toys, books, etc. It took up a good chunk of both weekend days, but the result was 2 really nice, comfy rooms and 2 happy kids and one slightly unsettled toddler who didn't know what was going on, really.
Why was it emotional? That's hard to explain. It was a step in the children's lives, and so it was leaving something behind (sharing a room, having a "nursery" room) and embarking on a new experience (sharing a room for the little one, sleeping alone for my son). As I was turning the baby room into a boy's room I shed a few tears for the sweet, quiet, intimate moments I spent with my baby in her room, nursing her and looking out the window, or reading to her or singing or playing. We probably won't ever have a "baby room" again, and I guess the larger meaning of that made me sad and nostalgic. My emotional response surprised me; I never thought about that part of the changeover until I was in the middle of it.
I'm happy for them all. My big girl is super excited to have a funky girls' room and to share with her baby sister. The purchase of some new bedding helped with her enthusiasm. My son loves his new room and took to it right away. I told him that he can have a "sleepover" in the girls' room anytime he wants, but for now he doesn't seem to miss his old room or the good times he had with his sister at all. For the little one this is a really big change. She's never slept with another person in the room. Will it change her in some subtle way? Will she feel safer and more secure now that she's never alone? Does the sound of another person's breathing in the night make us feel connected somehow? All I know is that she woke up Saturday night and stayed awake for 2 hours, trying to chat with her sister and giggling about the situation. Yeesh. Sunday night was better, but she was a little unsettled.
The older ones were ready to have separate rooms, but I'm glad they shared a room for all those years (They'd been together in a room all their lives). They're very close and like to talk to each other. I hope that doesn't change too much.
I had a strangely emotional yet very satisfying weekend. The reason is that we tackled a big job that needed doing. We changed the kids' bedrooms so that the older children (girl and boy) are no longer sharing a room and the little one (girl) is no longer alone in a room. Now the 2 girls are sharing and my son has a room to himself. This was a big job, involving furniture moving but also cleaning, sorting and transferring wardrobes, toys, books, etc. It took up a good chunk of both weekend days, but the result was 2 really nice, comfy rooms and 2 happy kids and one slightly unsettled toddler who didn't know what was going on, really.
Why was it emotional? That's hard to explain. It was a step in the children's lives, and so it was leaving something behind (sharing a room, having a "nursery" room) and embarking on a new experience (sharing a room for the little one, sleeping alone for my son). As I was turning the baby room into a boy's room I shed a few tears for the sweet, quiet, intimate moments I spent with my baby in her room, nursing her and looking out the window, or reading to her or singing or playing. We probably won't ever have a "baby room" again, and I guess the larger meaning of that made me sad and nostalgic. My emotional response surprised me; I never thought about that part of the changeover until I was in the middle of it.
I'm happy for them all. My big girl is super excited to have a funky girls' room and to share with her baby sister. The purchase of some new bedding helped with her enthusiasm. My son loves his new room and took to it right away. I told him that he can have a "sleepover" in the girls' room anytime he wants, but for now he doesn't seem to miss his old room or the good times he had with his sister at all. For the little one this is a really big change. She's never slept with another person in the room. Will it change her in some subtle way? Will she feel safer and more secure now that she's never alone? Does the sound of another person's breathing in the night make us feel connected somehow? All I know is that she woke up Saturday night and stayed awake for 2 hours, trying to chat with her sister and giggling about the situation. Yeesh. Sunday night was better, but she was a little unsettled.
The older ones were ready to have separate rooms, but I'm glad they shared a room for all those years (They'd been together in a room all their lives). They're very close and like to talk to each other. I hope that doesn't change too much.
# posted by becca : 7:53 AM
