Why Traveling with My Daughters Means Everything Now

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting The Empty Nest Mom and our Mom-run community!

I used to be the one packing the bags, planning the snacks, double-checking everything before we walked out the door… and somehow making it all fit in the car like a game of Tetris I never signed up to play.

Back then, trips felt like soooooo much work that I never thought about the memories we were making.

So Beautiful… but yet sooo very exhausting.

I was Mom in every sense of the word — needed, responsible, always thinking three steps ahead.

And I wouldn’t trade those years for ANYTHING.

But no one told me that one day life could be just as good—if I allowed it to be. That I’d have to let go of constantly looking back, stop living in the “when they were little” memories, and start being present for what was right in front of me. Because those same girls I raised became the people I now love traveling with the most, from our small adventures, to full-blown girls trips like this.

These are the moments I wish I could bottle up forever.
From Mom… to Mimi… to just being together 🤍
Subscribe and come along with us—we’ve got so much more to share.

It’s Not the Same… And That’s the Best Part

This trip to Estes Park was supposed to be a simple girls getaway—just me, my Daughters, and my Granddaughter. But somewhere between the mountain views, the coffee runs, and the nonstop laughing, I realized this didn’t just happen… I allowed it to. I could have stayed stuck in missing the years when they were little, thinking those were the best days and everything after would feel like less. And for a while, if I’m honest, I did.

But this trip felt different because I chose to be present for it. I chose to stop comparing it to the past and start appreciating what it is now. I’m not chasing them around anymore—I’m walking beside them. We’re talking, laughing, sharing stories, not just as Mom and Daughters, but as Women who genuinely enjoy each other.

And the part that really got me? I almost missed this version of us by holding onto the last one too tightly. I’m so glad I didn’t. Because this—this is fun, this is easy, and this is a kind of joy I didn’t see coming… but now I wouldn’t trade for anything.

Watching Her Be a Mom

There’s something you can’t fully explain until you experience it—watching your Daughters step into their own kind of “Mom Life.” Seeing Lauren with Quinn on this trip, the way she cares for her, the little things she does without even thinking, took me right back to when she was little and I was the one doing all of it.

And then there’s Gracie… who, let’s be honest, is a full-on Dog Mom to Lyla and takes that role very seriously. The way she loves on her, watches over her, and treats her like her child—it made me smile because it’s the same instinct, just showing up in a different way. And standing there watching both of them, I had one of those quiet moments where it just hits you—we’re in a completely different season, but the love hasn’t changed. It’s the same love, just different roles… and somehow, it feels even deeper now.

The Little Moments I’ll Never Forget

It wasn’t the big, planned-out parts of the trip that stayed with me—it was everything in between. The moments you don’t schedule, don’t expect, and honestly can’t recreate even if you tried.

Watching Quinn light up over the simplest things, like it was the best day of her life, reminded me how easy joy used to be—and how it still can be if you let it. The late-night conversations that somehow turned into laughing so hard we couldn’t catch our breath… the kind of laughs that just sneak up on you and make your cheeks hurt. Sitting there, looking out at the mountains, not saying much at all—but feeling completely full in that quiet.

And then there was this moment that hit me without warning… realizing no one needed anything from me right then. I wasn’t packing snacks, solving problems, or thinking three steps ahead. I wasn’t managing the moment.

I was just in it.

And if I’m being honest, that doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve spent so many years being the one holding everything together that slowing down and just being takes intention. But in that moment, I allowed myself to stop. To breathe. To take it all in.

And it made me realize… this is what I don’t want to miss anymore.

I Didn’t Know This Would Be One of My Favorite Seasons

I used to believe the best years of Motherhood were when they were little—when I was needed for everything, when life felt full and busy and loud.

And for a long time, I held onto that.

I thought maybe everything after that would feel like less.

But standing there on this trip, watching my girls laugh, watching their lives unfold, being invited into it instead of responsible for all of it… I realized something I didn’t see coming.

This isn’t less.

It’s just different.

And somehow, it feels lighter, easier… and in its own way, even more meaningful.

Not because they need me the same way anymore—
but because they choose me.

---

---