In the chaotic day-to-day life we lead, time gets away from us. As children, time seemed like the one thing we always had to spare. Growing old was never a reality. There would always be plenty of time to do this or finish that or wait for something new.
It’s funny how becoming a parent forever changes your perspective of time. During pregnancy you’re constantly anticipating the next stage. When am I going to start showing? When is the baby going to start kicking? When is my water going to break? Nine months would have seemed like a lifetime when we were small. An eternity, in fact.
The reality is nine months blow by so incredibly fast, it seems like a cruel joke. The first birthdays are fifth birthdays. Our little infants are big kids. The bumper pads, onesies and burp cloths we couldn’t wait to buy have long since been packed away and are now stored neatly in the closet in a dusty box. From rolling over to crawling to walking, we’ve been there for the milestones and the victories. The sweet voices that once called out, “mama” are now speaking to us as if they were already adults.
I’m often asked to give advice to new parents, so my advice is as follows – embrace the moments life gives you and squeeze them for all they’re worth. Forget about the reality of time. Don’t listen the people who say,”they’ll be grown up before you know it.” Pretend you’re a kid again and live in the moment. Stop looking for the next distraction and allow yourself the freedom to indulge in complete and utter ignorance when it comes to time. There may not be enough of it, but you can certainly learn how to make it last. 🙂
An excellent parental advice. We enjoy the moment with our kids.