am sad but should be happy!!

[crkm]

my dd is 3 tomorrow. she is the youngest of 4 - the oldest is 15. i feel like i am losing my babies. she starts nursery next week and that will be them all out of the house for most of the day! after 15 years of bringing up my babies now i have to hand my baby over to someone else to look after for some of the day. raising my kids is all i have done since i was just 20.

could go on having babies forever but dh had the snip 3 years ago!!! probably just as well...

not a lot to say but wanted to acknowledge your post - I can totally understand feeling sad - it's a huge milestone for you all. I wept when dh took the last of our baby stuff to the charity shop (and I only have two dcs!) it's a kind of grief for the passing of time and periods of your life - quite possibly something you actually need to feel in order to be ready for the next stage in life - which will be just as wonderful and exciting. let yourself feel how you feel but look forward too.

I've no experience of your situation (just 1 ds of 11mnths)but I can understand it must be sad...end of a chapter in your life and all that...but the next chapter could be just as time and energy consuming and even more fulfilling...and you aren't going to be suffering empty nest syndrome for a long while yet. I hope your sadness diminishes soon.

each time we put something away that they didnt need anymore (ie bibs or cot sheets) it felt really sad! some things we hung onto 'for the grandchildren' haha!!! but it helped in a funny way.

kids have this habbit of growing up! doesn't do much for us poor mums.

floriatosca - i am surrounded by balloons and wrapped presents, the birthday cake is made and the banners are up. its silly of me to be down. just having a moment of self pity. the smiles will be back tomorrow.

thank you for your 'thoughts'

Good morning crkm.
Happy 3rd birthday to your dd, I hope she has a fab day and that your moment of sadness at them all growing up is over (as my dreadfully unsympathetic mother would say.."it is infinately preferrable to the alternative".
It is lovely that you have enjoyed their infancy so much, you hear so many mothers wishing their children grown up and out of their hair you wonder why they bothered in the first placeYour los have grown up with a mum who wanted them and has enjoyed every moment with them.....I'm now going to copy and paste this to my diary to remind me in two years time when I'm going through the same feelings
Have a lovely party.

aw that is so sweet
Happy Birthday to your dd
It's only natural to feel at a bit of a loss at this next stage
Time to start planning exciting theings to do now that they are all getting bigger - that always cheers me up

thank you! she is having a lovelly day and is very excited to be 3 and starting nursery soon. have several friends expecting babies any day - will immerse myself in their tiredness and sleepness nights and sore bits!! then i will be grateful not to be doing it all again, and will be contented with my beautiful babies!!