What's the most old school thing you've ever done?
The Damsel supposes her most old school thing was having babies. Lots.
Not that she was particularly good at having babies. The flesh was weak. Sometimes all she could do was just lie there and gestate. She did NOT get better at it with practice. Rather, she sort of wore out. Still, she tried to do her part in repopulating the earth.
Many people told the Damsel that she'd know when she was “done.” That bit of information didn't come easily. But even when she had that feeling of completeness, it was rather heartbreaking to say goodbye to that part of her life, that life that had owned her for so long.
The last time she nursed her #7, she sobbed like she'd never stop. And even now, seeing fresh new babies brings pangs of . . . something . . . not really regret, but more like melancholy remembrances, of sweet little fuzzy heads and rosebud lips.
When the Damsel recounts the “last” this and the “last” that, there's happy along with the sad. Some things were easy to say goodbye to. The last potty training. The last croup vigil. The last set of kindergarten immunizations.
Each stage brings its own joys.
When you get to the goodbye stage, the Damsel recommends acquiring some handsome grandsons. She's found they do an admirable job easing the sting of memory. After all, their heads are sweet and fuzzy, too.
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Margot is a mom of seven and pretty much crazy from it. Online she's known as the Damsel in Dis Dress and blogs at the Old School (www.mynewoldschool.com) and twitters @elle_cosette.
