I don't want to wish their childhood away...

but sometimes it is hard.

I found an activity for our spring break trip. I know we would all love it - Canopy Tour and Ziplining in Ohio: http://www.hockinghillscanopytours.com/home.html

How cool does that look. Unfortunately, the minimum age is 10, and for my munchkins, an even bigger hurdle, the minimum weight is 70 lbs. At nearly 11 my boys are not 70 lbs - hell, Liam keeps weighing in a hair shy of 60 lbs. Based on age, we can visit in a little under 2 years, but I don't think Devlin will be close to 70 at 10 years old either. Oh, well, we will have to save this one for a few years.

I think many of us parents struggle with this. I read somewhere once that in the 60s and 70s Barbie Dolls were played with mainly by girls aged 7-10. That is certainly in line with my memories. Today most little girls have their first Barbie at 2. By 7 they are well past them and think Barbies are for babies. I blame us mothers. We had such fond memories of playing Barbie that we just couldn't wait to introduce them to our daughters so that they could love them as much as we did. But, we should have waited.

For me, this lesson gets driven home more than most because my children are short. This canopy tour is not the first thing my children have had to wait for. Roller coasters - especially the more extreme coasters - have height limits that have kept my children grounded for years, often long past the age when their peers were riding. I think for me, this has been a good lesson - a reminder to slow down, let them enjoy the age that they are, and not push them to be older than they are.

I am going to enjoy their childhood. Too soon I will be missing it.