Quiet Confessions, Episode 22: What I’ll Miss One Day

In this week’s Quiet Confessions, Chelsea reflects on the small, everyday moments of parenting that are equal parts exhausting and heart-melting — the duality we don’t always recognize until it’s gone.

From preschool mispronunciations like “B-member” and “preschoo,” to bedtime bathroom excuses, to popcorn-for-dinner movie nights, Chelsea shares the sweetness hidden beneath the chaos. This episode is a gentle reminder to notice what we’ll miss one day — not because we have to savor every second, but because love is often tucked into the most overwhelming parts of parenting.

🔑 Key Takeaways

1. Parenting is full of duality. The same moments that feel overwhelming now are the ones we’ll one day miss.
   
   
2. Mispronunciations are fleeting magic. Words like “B-member” or “Lightning the Queen” capture a child’s unique stage of life.
   
   
3. Bedtime routines hold hidden sweetness. What feels like stalling now may one day feel like a gift of connection.
   
   
4. Simple joys matter. Popcorn-and-movie dinners are proof that small rituals become treasured memories.
   
   
5. Sibling bonds shine through. Even amid bickering, moments of laughter and connection remind us how strong sibling relationships are.
   
   
6. Presence over perfection. It’s not about savoring every moment, but noticing love inside the chaos. 

🎧 Soundbites

• “The duality of parenting is that the things that drive us crazy now will break our hearts when they’re gone.”
  
  
• “One day she won’t come downstairs for that extra hug — and I’ll miss it.”
  
  
• “B-member and preschoo are uniquely hers right now — and I know I’ll miss it when the words are gone.”
  
  
• “Popcorn-and-movie night feels like survival to us, but to them, it feels like a party.”
  
  
• “Love is tucked into the chaos — and that’s what we’ll miss one day.”

Transcript

Chelsea Myers (00:25)
Hey, happy Thursday. Welcome back to another Quiet Confession. If this is your first episode, welcome. These are mini episodes that I record each week, and it's intentional time for you and me to hang out, just the two of us. And I've been reflecting a lot lately because both my kids are in school now. I feel like I've said that in every episode.

It's still insane to me. Right? Like this, I don't know. I didn't realize it was going to hit me this hard, but it is. And we're in week four for Lily and three for Avery. It's ⁓ a lot. If you've been following along, you know Avery just started preschool, but it feels like she's grown up so much just overnight. She's

suddenly so much more talkative and eager to tell me about every little detail of her day. She's also very much in the I can do it myself phase, which is both wonderful and frustrating. It's independence and stubbornness rolled into one tiny human. ⁓ So when I go to pick her up from preschool, she

very much wants to tell me what she's done, but on her terms and I can't ask any questions. It's kind of hilarious and also a little heartbreaking. And with Lily in fourth grade, I find myself looking at old pictures and videos, scrolling through Google Photos, seeing her when she was Avery's age. There's a seven year age gap between them and it is absolutely wild to compare.

where my partner and I were then to where we are now. All of that has me thinking about the little things, the moments that can feel super annoying or really overwhelming in the present, but that I know I'm really going to miss one day. Okay, let's start with Lily. Every night, and I mean every night,

After we've put her to bed, she comes downstairs under the guise of needing to use the bathroom, even though she uses the bathroom before we put her to bed. Really, she just wants to squeeze the dogs one more time, get one more hug from me and Ben, and stretch out her bedtime just a little bit longer. And

If I'm being honest, it drives me absolutely crazy most of the time because by that point in the day, I'm exhausted. I want quiet. I want my tea. I want to just shut down. But one day she's not going to come downstairs. She's not going to feel the need for that extra hug.

I don't know if she'll ever get over wanting to squeeze the dogs one more time, but I know that when the day comes that she goes to bed and stays in bed, I'm going to really miss it. That duality is everywhere in parenting. I talk about it all the time. The thing that's a little bit annoying right now or a lot annoying, but we'll break your heart when it's gone.

And then there's Avery. Right now, she's in this phase where she's saying, B-member instead of remember and preschoo instead of preschool. And I freaking love it. It is so sweet and so uniquely her. And I know that those words won't last. One day she's going to say them.

the quote unquote right way. And I'm sure I'll be proud, but I'm also going to be sad because all of those words that she says in her own way are just who she is right now. And I'm going to miss that. I'm going to miss the way she changes her name and mine about 20 times a day. So much so.

that I can't remember who I'm supposed to be at any given moment. Sometimes I'm Ryder and she's Chase. Sometimes I'm Robot Mommy and she's Doug. Sometimes I'm Mater and she's Lightning the Queen because this child is convinced that that car's name is definitely not Lightning McQueen. It does not matter what you tell her or how many times we watch the movie. Lightning the Queen.

I actually kind of love that. When it's happening, it's exhausting and confusing, especially for someone with brain fog like mine. But I know one day I'm gonna look back and laugh and wish I could step into just one more round of, all right, Avery, who am I now? Who am I supposed to be? Who are you? What's your name?

There's also the way both girls will just say, love you out of nowhere for absolutely no reason, or at least not a reason that I know. I don't think kids realize how much that carries you through. It feels random, like they're just throwing it out there between snacks and chaos. But for me, those words land so deeply.

I say it all the time to both of them. My oldest has even told me like, Mom, I know you love me. You don't have to say it all the time. And I say, I know I don't have to. I want to. I know I'm going to miss those moments when it's all unfiltered and uncalculated and just blurted out because it's true in that moment.

I'm going to miss popcorn and movie dinner nights. Maybe we'll keep doing them. Who knows? The secret is that those are the nights that my husband and I have nothing left to give. So we say, all right, who wants to have popcorn for dinner? And we throw on a movie, put popcorn in the microwave, grab a couple of fruit and veggie applesauce pouches and call it a night. To them, it feels like a party, even though we're just sitting in the living room.

I'll miss the moments when the girls actually want to spend time together. When they're giggling and playing and coming up with little scenarios. Even though the majority of the time they are bickering. Those bursts of connection remind me how strong their bond really is. I'll miss the Uppies! and the can we rock together? ⁓ The little ways that they still need me.

want to be held and soothed. Even when I'm touched out, again, it's the duality, but I know those days are numbered. There's so many of these little things. Things that in the moment can feel incredibly overwhelming or even insanely irritating. The clinginess, the noise, the endless demands. But when I zoom out, I can see the glimmers underneath.

The love, the connection, the tiny pieces of childhood that slip away faster than I ever want them to. And that's what I'll miss one day, the duality of it all. The messy, exhausting, heart-melting, annoying, wonderful moments that make up parenting. So, if you're in the thick of it too,

Maybe let's both take a second to notice what we'll miss one day. Not because you need to savor every moment. I hate that phrase. Instead, because it helps to hold on to the love inside the chaos and it helps keep us present. For me, it's bedtime bathroom breaks, B-member, and popcorn and movie night.

For you, it could be something totally different. Whatever it is, it's worth noticing because one day we're gonna miss it more than we can imagine. All right, you know the drill. Unless you're new, do something nice for yourself. I will do something nice for myself. I'll be back next week and I hope you'll join me.