Strollers Not Required.

the day we let go of the stroller, and so goes a season...

We sold our stroller last week.

Well, technically, we gave it away—the last and final stroller in our home. My husband posted it on Facebook Marketplace, and as it turns out, one of my son’s former Special Education teachers (who we adore!) was looking for one. When he reached out, my husband—being the generous giver he is—decided we wouldn’t sell it. We should just give it to him. I agreed.

But that’s not really the point.

The point is, as Mr. Joel and baby Oliver came over to pick up the stroller, I felt a quiet shift inside me.

I was in the middle of making another round of bagel pizzas in my tiny air fryer, so I wasn’t fully processing what this moment meant. When Ever Joy (my youngest) asked where her stroller was going, I helped her say thank you—to the stroller. “Thank you for serving our family so well.” We smiled and waved as almost one-year-old Oliver and his dad wheeled our UPPAbaby stroller out of our front door and down the sidewalk.

It felt good.

It still feels good. No regrets.

But a few days later, I took my youngest two daughters (ages 8 and 4) to a free community event with some friends. As we waited in the car for them to arrive, I noticed the moms around us—stepping out of their minivans and SUVs, pulling out strollers, strapping on baby carriers, loading up wagons, slinging diaper bags over their shoulders. And suddenly, it hit me all at once: we aren’t in that season anymore.

We haven’t needed a stroller for outings like this in a long time, but it still felt like a realization washing over me. We don’t need a stroller. (Well, except for at Disney!)

✿We no longer own…

• A diaper bag

• A crib

• An Ergo baby carrier

• Diapers, sippy cups, or bottles

• The one million other baby gear items that once cluttered our floors

✿We no longer…

• Have nap times

• Use the “baby” swing at the neighborhood park

• Need high chairs or booster seats at restaurants

• Hire a date-night sitter (we have two teenagers now!)

Heck, I don’t even have a uterus anymore. (Lol.) More on this soon.

After four kids and 12+ years of baby gear, we just… don’t need it anymore.

And that makes it real. This is a new season. A season where strollers are not required.

I’m just going to leave that there for now….