Once I measured motherhood by

Drop-offs in the mornings

Pick-ups in the afternoons

A million email reminders from teachers

Garbage day on tuesdays

Late start day on wednesdays

The pile of laundry that never goes down

Sleepless nights from colds and tummy aches

Now I measure motherhood by

The childhood summers my boys have left with me

11 summers of long car rides

11 summers of trips to places they learned about in the school year

11 summer nights of us all crammed in one hotel room eating pizza

11 summers of hiking trails in places we may never visit again

11 summers of watching tv marathons

11 summers for them to form memories

That will forever shape their lives