“Once upon a time” when the winter days were short and cold and yes, just a little exhausting with five kids under the age of 12, I would get the older three off to school, all on different schedules, pack up my toddler twins in their little snowsuits, gloves and hats, and head the mall just a few miles away.
It was quite an ordeal to get them out of the car seats, through the doors of the mall, out of the winter outerwear, and safely into the stroller. I was thankful to have the means and opportunity to take them however. It was good for them, and good for their (relatively) young mom.
Seated happily in their double stroller, we were not there to shop but to walk. The doors would open at 9 a.m., and we would walk several miles around the mall with the other mall walkers. Well, I would walk and they would ride, chatting it up with giggles and twin conversation, with their tiny little voices.
Sometimes, we would join other young children gathered in the “play place” and the twins would waddle around, climbing on things, sliding down things and basically staying in close proximity to each other, occasionally stopping by my spot on the “parent bench” to grab some water from their brightly colored “sippy” cups.
There was an indoor train on wheels which drove around the mall. Tickets for the little ride were $1 and included a free ice cream cone at Chick Fil A. I remember the twins “toddling” from the stroller parking lot after the train dropped us off, over to the counter and reaching UP to place their little tickets within reach of the cashier. They knew the routine. We would like the ice cream in a cup please, I would add. It was going to be a mess either way, but the cups were definitely a little less messy than a cone, times two.
Tickets to the indoor carousel cost a little bit more and for some reason, the children didn’t find it as enjoyable as the train. Yet, from time to time, we would ride the carousel just to switch things up.
It was a good way to spend our mornings in winter. The daily outings left my precious little balls of energy tired and ready for a nap after lunch time when I would have a few peaceful hours to myself before beginning preparations to pack them up in the stroller again and hike a block or two through the neighborhood to the bus stop to pick up their brother from kindergarten. The older two, thankfully, were able to make their way home on their own. One less thing.
There was a song by Trace Adkins which was released just around the time of these experiences at the mall and the days of being a stay at home mom. I remember appreciating that song, even at the time, knowing all of these young children would eventually grow up.
About 13 years later on a bitter cold Saturday in February, 2022, I dropped my (now) teenager- twins off at the door to the same mall to meet their friends. They jumped out of the car and quickly went their separate ways, with me… and their separate ways with each other. I went inside for a little while and decided to grab some lunch and sit by the carousel. It looks exactly the same. My mind went back in time to the days of spending winter mornings at the mall with my two, two year olds.
I ran into my son and his friend when they stopped by my table to say “Hey what’s up.” A few minutes later, as I was leaving I stopped by their table to say “see you later.”
Mom, we’re going to ride the carousel after lunch because we can, he said with a slightly mischievous smile. I wondered in that moment, does he remember all those winter mornings of being here with me and with his twin sister and riding the carousel or the train, or playing in the play place.
Maybe he does or maybe he doesn’t, but I remember. Those days seem so long ago now.
It’s funny how certain memories like the ones I have described in this blog post, come back to you at different times.
The Trace Adkins song went through my mind for the first time in many years.
As my twins make their way through high school and the final couple of years before adulthood, with the older children now pretty much “grown and flown,” the lyrics of the song feel as relevant and meaningful to me today as they did back in the late 2000’s.
I’m glad I decided to step into the mall and have lunch, instead of dropping them off and going about my Saturday.
“You’re gonna miss this. You’re gonna want this back. You’re gonna wish these days hadn’t gone by so fast. These are some good times, so take a good look around. You may not know it now. But you’re gonna miss this.”
– Ashley Gorley and Lee Thomas Miller, Songwriters