Don’t Wait Their Little Lives Away

I was looking at my eldest son the other day thinking “when exactly did he turn into a little boy?” It seems like only yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. When he was born he was so tiny, fragile, quiet and dependant on us for everything. It was then that the waiting began.

Despite advice from family, friends, and even complete strangers to “enjoy every minute of it as they grow up so fast” we were always waiting for the next stage and wish that he would do <blank>.

They grow up so fast. A phrase that is echoed in every parent circle around the world but many of us don’t actually take the time to internalize it and think about what it really means. I know I didn’t. When they first arrive on the scene we can’t wait for them to sleep through the night, eat solid food and sit up on their own. When they’re sitting up on their own we can’t wait for them to crawl, stand, cruise along the furniture and take their first steps. When they take their first steps we can’t wait for them to run, start to speak and then read. Before you know it they are doing all this stuff and at some point you think “wow when did this all happen?” and begin wishing you had it all back again.

Getting caught up in the day to day activities that form life and always waiting for the next steps, in my opinion, creates a life of relative unhappiness, as we’re always waiting for tomorrow.  When talking with my husband one day it suddenly occurred to us that the things our little one was doing today were those very things we “couldn’t wait for” only 2 months prior.

The phrase “They Grow Up So Fast” has a whole new meaning for me. It’s only natural to want to push our kids to be the best, most advanced, youngest to do <insert activity here>. But now that our second son is here I’m finding that he’s growing up even quicker than our first.

Taking time each day to take stock of what we did, what milestones the kids achieved, and just enjoying where they’re at developmentally right now, today, has helped in slowing down and enjoying them more.

Before long they will be in school, dating, graduating, getting married and having kids of their own and that’s great; I am certainly looking forward to all of those things but I no longer find myself wasting time today thinking of how great it will be tomorrow. Now I wake up every morning knowing that they will never be as small as they are right this very second and I look forward to just hanging out with them, changing their diapers, feeding them, playing with them, reading to them and just generally enjoying them.

Don’t “I can’t wait…” your kids’ lives away. Recognize that what they are doing today is the very thing you couldn’t wait for them to do just a little while ago. They truly do grow up so fast.

Photo courtesy of peasap.