Besides all the chocolate and church of Easter (not to mention those delicious hot cross buns that I can never get enough of!), the other bonus Easter brings is a longer holiday break and the chance for the 'grown and flown' children to come back to the family nest for a visit.
As a mum this is just the best bit ever - all the catching up and hanging out and eating and talking.....
Our first visit has just finished. Our son and lovely daughter-in-law (and their wild cat Willow) came down on Good Friday and left this afternoon. I love seeing them because they only come every few months, but when they do, they settle in and make it a vacation. It's lovely to see them lying on the couch or sitting at the table with a cuppa having a chat.
Jared and Hannah |
our coffee spot perched over the river |
Life is certainly more full-on while they are here, lots of talking and heaps more food in the fridge and thinking up new things to do to make their stay interesting - not to mention having a third cat wreaking havoc everywhere and trying to take over ownership of its new home. Things settle down in the cat adjustment area on day 3 - which is usually when they are getting packed up and ready to head home (then the process repeats with their next visit - a small price to pay for having them here).
It's a lovely time to sit back and bask a little in the satisfaction of a parenting job that appears to have been successful - to have children that are independent and settled in their own world, yet happy to come back and visit their parents is a really good feeling. There might be times where I still wish for more (those Brady Bunch expectations again!) but as a whole, I am very happy with how my children are turning out. And the icing on the cake is that our daughter is coming down for a visit at the end of the week - I just love the Easter holidays!!
It's a lovely time to sit back and bask a little in the satisfaction of a parenting job that appears to have been successful - to have children that are independent and settled in their own world, yet happy to come back and visit their parents is a really good feeling. There might be times where I still wish for more (those Brady Bunch expectations again!) but as a whole, I am very happy with how my children are turning out. And the icing on the cake is that our daughter is coming down for a visit at the end of the week - I just love the Easter holidays!!