Wow do I ever dislike this cliche... a handy and trendy catch-all that suggests "we've made a decision, we hope it's the right one, we'd better call it progress so nobody challenges our assumptions." It's like Billy Bragg's song: Just because you're better than me/ Doesn't mean I'm lazy / Just because you're going forwards / Doesn't mean I'm going backwards.
Still, when I think of moving forward I a reminded that we finally put the toilet paper back on the toilet paper holder a couple of weeks ago. We took it off 4 years ago when our daughter could crawl up to the roller and start spooling off heaps of tp. She was barely weaned from this when our son came along with just as much passion for lining the floor with shwipes. They done with that now, and although there are still diapers and plastic toys and crayons and teddies and half-done art projects everywhere all around, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. A tenth of my life has whizzed by with no toilet paper handy, always just out of reach on the counter. The little kid things, the toys and crayons and what not, some find cute or sentimental, but we find annoying. We can't wait to graduate to the time when the kids are more self-sufficient and conversational. At this point, it doesn't look like either one will be the pensive bookworm or reflective observer (dream come true), they will be quick-thinking fiery clumsy strong funny, but not quiet.
