3D: New Mom, Same Kids

Skyla’s life as a mother evolved over time with every new adventure her children embarked. She had been a teacher, cheerleader, coach, protector, judge, and all those wonderful roles that comprised motherhood. Nowadays, she had more of an advisor role–at least to the older two. Starting over with Oliver had been an interesting experience but not because it had been a while since she had small children. The youth potion they took before Aubrey was born had blessed her to experience so many things most people didn’t live to see. Most people who were a mere quarter of the way through their adult years didn’t have the pleasure of witnessing the ups and downs of their children’s journey into adulthood. People usually died before seeing their children fall in love and get married. And forget meeting their grandchildren. Skyla felt like a pioneer, adventuring through uncharted territory. The foreign land they now called home contained many steep cliffs and deep ravines. Navigating the terrain with no map was risky and terrifying but oh so exciting.

A new adventure awaited them every day it seemed. Despite having tenure as a mother, Skyla felt like a brand new mom again, wading her way through the nuances of having adult children and raising a son. Her daughters had been interested in boys before, but the relationships that were forming now were different and a bit serious. Sometimes it was hard to believe how old they were. They still looked like teenagers. They still acted like teenagers sometimes. Skyla was an only child and learned so much about the relationship between siblings from her daughters. Being a mom to adult children came with so many new dilemmas. How much distance should she keep? When did she speak up? How many times should she watch them get hurt before scooping them into her arms?

On top of feeling like a new mom, she had Jonathan to deal with. He wasn’t exactly going through a midlife crisis, but…ok, maybe just a little. It wasn’t anything too serious. Just small things here and there. It seemed the grayer his hair got the more he concerned himself with how he looked, working out regularly and asking if his outfits were “cool.” He became a bit obsessed with what the girls thought of him. Their opinions about everything reigned supreme. He felt like he was losing them. She reassured him he would never lose them, but sometimes it was hard for her to believe as well. They spent less time at home and more time with the men in their lives. Soon, those men would whisk them away for good, leaving their loving parents behind. But, even then they wouldn’t be lost. They would still be their little girls just from a distance. It felt odd to be so young and thinking about emptying nests and welcoming grandchildren, especially with such a young child still at home. So much was happening all at once, and the excitement was sometimes too great. It didn’t seem right to have such an exuberant existence. But at the same time, it was everything she had ever dreamed motherhood to be.