>Now and Then

“We’re off!” my oldest stepdaughter trills as she and her sister clop down the stairs.

“Oakwood Park?” I ask.

“Yep,” she laughs. I smile wryly. Oakwood Park is where my stepdaughters and their friends congregate each weekend night, in search of fun. Oh at first, I didn’t like the sound of that at all. But then Hubs drove me past Oakwood Park. It sits on a half-acre of land right in the middle of one of the nicer neighborhoods in town, and includes a small, fenced-in playground and some tennis courts. Also? One of my stepdaughter’s friends lives right across the street, and we know her parents. I have absolutely no problem now with Oakwood Park.

I do wonder, though, what on earth makes them so excited about going to a park night after night after night. And then I have to laugh.

Because I imagine they wonder the very same thing about me. What on earth would be fun about taking care of two small children all day and night, about doing laundry and mopping floors and making dinners, about only going out a few times a month and spending most of my nights in with one guy, watching The Office on DVD?

If I could have seen myself now when I was their age, I would have screamed with shock and disbelief and, well, disappointment. You mean I’m not a movie star? Or a network anchor? Or a bestselling author?

And yet, for all that, I’m happier than I’ve ever been in my life. I’m happier than I was when I was single and could do anything I wanted. I’m happier than I was when I was newly married and childless and had my stepdaughters only a few nights a week.

And I’m a hell of a lot happier than I was when I was a teenager, hanging out most weekend nights not in a park but in a parking lot. What was I thinking?

I know what I’m thinking now. I can’t wait to show my stepdaughters posts like this one in about fifteen or so years. I wonder what they’ll think about all this then?

This post originally appeared on Parents.com.