Sick & on their own

I felt a little guilty leaving them.  Just a tad.  After 25 years as a stay at home mom, cleaning up poop, puke, cutting up slices of toast into animal shapes, and dwelling in an incubator of childhood disease and germs I was glad my two boys were old enough to be on their own for a few hours.  After all, they weren't running fevers.
They had shuffled out to the living room and plopped themselves on the couches in positions that were worthy of  chalk outlines.   If there were awards for assuming a death position, they'd deserve a nomination.  I placed everything within reach, rattled off some last minutes instructions and bolted.  I am now a self-employed crazy person mingling out in the real world with all the other crazy people. 
Left behind were the spray cans of Lysol, boxes of tissues, and vitamin C tablets.  They had their I-pods, game thingy's and if all else failed 742 channels on the T.V.  
Like everything else, it's a passage of time.  They grow up and fend for themselves however reluctant.  While to them I don't appear to change or grow, there comes a time when we all are ready for that change.  Wiping rosy little bottoms and smelling like Baby Magic is no longer what we thought it was cut out to be.  I carry a really nice purse, no dirty diapers allowed and enjoy smelling like a woman, no hint of spit up formula in the undertones. 
I do miss brushing their hair off of their foreheads to find that their fevers have broken, knowing that a bowl of cherry jello cures almost anything, and popping in a Disney favorite while playing hands of Old Maid until it's time for some cinnamon toast shaped like cats.  Those moments were special and having my children dependent on me to make all the discomfort disappear was empowering.  It's empowered me to know that all that TLC paid off.  They can be on their own for a while, even when they are sick.  They'll be ok because mom carries a cell phone and is just a quick text away.  Isn't it crazy how they grow up so fast?