You know how people say cherish those younger years because they go by quickly…I’m feeling some strong resentment toward them right now.

They only gave half wisdom. By half I mean, they impress upon the young mom or dad (or was it just me?) that parents will lose their value. That once your progeny reach a level of independence, they won’t need you anymore.

So, I cherished the moments. As my little angels emerged into adolescence, the Disney Channel marathons turned into nights of waiting for them to come home after hanging out with their friends. Even though, I knew it was coming, when they didn’t need me anymore, this mom went into full scale empty nest depression. After being a mom for eighteen years, what was my purpose?

Well, the baby of the family is twenty-six, and I am here to tell you those cherish the moment memes are lies, lies, and more lies. Our children cook better than me. The youngest of the four can fix a car. He built his entertainment system. When a microburst pulled off the roof and flooded the house, he handled the fiasco like a champ.

Through subtle inquiries I learned a beautiful truth. My adult children still needed me. I talk to one about parenting the grandchildren. I talk with the overachiever child about managing expectations. The strong willed child needs me for the little things. Like how to clean spiderwebs without feeling like you’ve entered the forest outside of Hogwarts. The most recent need is teaching him to act surprised when I ponder how I developed a mini belly. Hint: advising a woman to change her diet and increase the exercise it NOT the correct answer.

The moral of this post, and the point of my return trips to Arizona (in the middle of the summer) is this. Your children never stop needing you. Lessons that take a lifetime cannot be compressed into eighteen years. Especially when we don’t know what we’re talking for three of those years.

For those of you who have babies. Cherish the moments. When those angels turn into adults they love hearing stories about the days when their biggest concern was a chicken nugget being the wrong shape. For those of you with teenagers, they’ll come around and brace yourself. The day will come when they help you plan family vacations because they know how to navigate the Airbnb site like a champ.

I close this post wishing you warm parent memories to help you pull through those time when we, “don’t know what we’re talking about. “

Until the next adventure,