Happy birthday to my daughter! Yes, I miss her, but I’m happy she’s living near my son and DIL, has her pug Waffles and a job she enjoys.
I wrote this when we dropped our daughter off at college several years ago. Now that she’s living in the adult world — I still miss these things about her. We were lucky to have her sheltering in place with us for a couple of months. That was one of the good things that happened in 2020 — not COVID-19 and being locked down — but getting the chance to spend time together.
We took our daughter to college two weeks ago. She looks really happy in the photos posted on FB and Instagram. She’s made new friends, is enjoying her team and coaches — and likes her classes.
My life is busy with new and old projects. But, I notice a quiet, a sort of waiting sense, that I didn’t feel before. It’s the little things about her that I miss.
I miss her cracking my back. She would give me a hug, tell me to relax and say, “One, two..” and lift me up in the air before she said three. The result was cracking, popping relief.
I miss her making me laugh. Kat is funny. I love her little half smile when she knows she’s especially clever. And the crinkles around her eyes when she laughs out loud.
I miss her cleaning out my wallet and organizing it for me. She’d say, “Mom your purse is a gateway to hoarding.”
I miss her walking through the kitchen door after her morning workout asking me to make her eggs. I don’t have anyone to make eggs for right now — except my husband and me — and we rarely eat them.
I miss her cat Olive walking on the skinny end of her four poster bed while she watched Netflix on my laptop.
I miss when she was very young and called yellow “lallo.” When we’d go to the beach, she’d strip naked as soon as her suit got wet. I used to bring a bag full of swimsuits for her.
I miss going to the pool and watching practice, chatting with the other swim parents. That was a luxury that I took for granted.
Yes, I miss her and I hope she knows how much I love her. Happy birthday!
What are the little things you miss the most about your kids who have left home — or friends you no longer see very often?
The kid things are wonderful memories but I would probably miss those snippets even if the kids were close by. I truly miss in-person talks with my girls more than anything. Video chats or phone calls just aren’t the same.
I agree. I video chat with the kids, but I miss them in person.
Love this tribute to your beautiful, funny and talented daughter. Happy birthday!
Thank you, Wynne 😊
So sweet!! Happy birthday to Kat!
Thank you!
Oh my goodness — happy birthday, indeed. I love the ‘lallo’…your purse as a ‘gateway to hoarding’ and the sweet baby pic of Olive. A great way to start my morning! 🥰
I’m happy you enjoyed my fond memories of being mom to such a fun, loving daughter. And in the end, I got to keep Olive 😊
🥰🥰🥰
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A very happy birthday To your daughter. My kids are living near us and we meet frequently.
Thank you. You’re so lucky. We only see our kids a few times a year. My daughter is going to Europe for a wedding and has decided to fly here to see us on the way.
You’re welcome. Yes we are lucky.
👍🏼
Your daughter looks so much like you!
Happy Birthday to her! ❤️
Thanks! She actually is a combo of my hubby and me. She has his green eyes and red hair.
I love that.
😊
Oh, what a great tribute EA. You wrote about my piece causing tears, if I focused on this one for much longer, I would be a puddle of tears, thinking of my own kids and what I miss about them. Ha, ha. A beautiful piece. Happy birthday to her.
Thank you, Brian. I guess we can cry together today!
Ha, ha, your piece was a good cry though. I like those cries. Ha, ha.
That’s so true. 👍🏼
What a sweet, loving, and heart rendering post. Happy Birthday Kat! I miss how my kids made me laugh, gave me such a sense of purpose, made me feel like a spectacular chef, and talented doctor. I miss the dirty laundry, the messy house, the endless chaos of life with them swirling around me. But I also like the adults they have become and the lives they are living. Hugs, C
Thank you. Yes, I miss those days, too. I wrote that during my first year of empty nesting. It was an adjustment to get used to an empty house. I also love seeing them as adults and enjoy spending time together without having to do the day to day care.
What a wonderful post from a mother to a daughter! Very heart-warming. Happy birthday to Kat.🎂
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it and I could share some little things that bring me joy in my relationships with Kat.
Happy Birthday!
😊👍🏼
Aww! ❤️
My kids are still home for now but won’t be long and I know there will be a lot I miss. Cherishing the time. Its the little things that I will miss the most like you were saying. The way my daughter rubs my back when she walks by. Spontaneous hugs from my son. Late night talks.
And yes, miss the days when they were little. Their small arms hugging as tight as they could around my neck. The homemade cards and pictures they would draw. Snuggling together for a bedtime story. 🥰
Love all your memories, too. They will stay with you forever. I just got off the phone with a one hour talk with my son. They call me most days, which is not as good, but works, now.
❣️
Your love for each other, mother and daughter, shines through. Having lost my mother not too long ago, your post meant a lot to me. Thank you.
Thank you for the kind comments. I lost my mother January 1, 2023.
I couldn’t “like” such a comment, that seems inappropriate. But I feel deeply for you and regret the way that a new year will always be tinged with sadness, but hopefully, you’ll be able to turn the first day of the year into a celebration of her, and of your memories of her 🌸
Thank you for your thoughts. Yes, it’s incredibly hard to lose our moms.
Indeed, and perhaps it is a testament to who they were that the pain of their loss is carried with us so heavily.
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