How old do I have to be?

Emma, aged 6: How old do I have to be to get my license?
Me: 16
Emma: Can't I be 12?

Emma is always asking how old she has to be for different things.  For example, how old do I have to be to walk to the bus by myself?  How old do I have to be before I can watch The Suite Life? How old do I have to be to stay home by myself?  And, my personal favorite, how old do I have to be to get an iPhone? (Answer: when she can pay for it herself!)

It's funny how we obsess about the future and things that we don't have now.  I find myself playing my own "how old will I be?" game.  For example, how old will I be when I can go to the bathroom without uninvited guests? How old will I be when I can have an uninterrupted conversation with my husband?  How old will I be when I can sleep in on Saturdays again?  How old will I be when I lose all this baby weight?

In case you didn't notice, most of those questions come up because I have a house full of little girls.  These sweet darlings demand quite a bit of attention and their need is greatest when my bladder is full.  This weekend, I found myself wondering when the questions about the future start to fade away and are replaced by "I remember when" stories.  If it isn't the future we are thinking of, it is the past we are remembering.  When do we stop and just enjoy the present?  I'm going to challenge myself to spend a little more time enjoying the present this week.