With every passing minute, hour, and day, the magnitude of which I cherish these little moments in time with my tiny humans continues to grow more than I ever thought was humanly possible.
They say it will go fast, but no one really in all honesty prepares you for just how fast it seems to pass us by. In fact, the faster you realize just how fleeting time truly is, the faster you learn to not sweat the small stuff.
My motto or perspective on life as a mother over the past few years has definitely shifted. I stress less about messes, how tidy and organized my home is, if I’m caught up on laundry, what the weekly dinner menu looks like, bringing a Pinterest board to life, or trying to keep up with societal norms on my own motherhood journey. I used to think if I dropped the ball on one or all of these things that I was failing as a mother, but now I see that I just have my priorities in the right order for the best interest of my family. I am more focused on the experiences I am sharing and the memories I am making with my children and my husband. I am determined to create a childhood my kids can look back on, hopefully with fond memories they will cherish always and remember just how incredibly loved they were and continue to be.
For the little feet that once pitter pattered down the hall in the wee hours of the morning to wake me will eventually be gone all too soon. My lap while once full of children and books and toys and laughter will someday feel quiet and empty. The demands of dressing and feeding and brushing teeth will eventually dwindle until they are no more.
As their independence grows, it will be a bittersweet feeling. Feelings of blessing and gratitude that they are growing and learning and reaching milestones, but also feelings of sadness as I realize that chapter of life is now closing and I will no longer be needed in the way in which I once was. I read somewhere recently to cherish every moment, no matter how small, because you just never know if it will be the last.
The last bottle, the last diaper change or the last time tying shoes or zipping a coat. The last of those special moments when your baby is learning to talk or walk. The last time a toddler ends up in your bed in the middle of the night. The last game, dance, or day of school.
If anything, raising children teaches us to savor every moment in life because before you know it, the firsts that we were so eager for and so excited about very quickly become some of the hardest lasts. In what feels like the blink of an eye, childhood quickly transitions to adolescence and then adulthood and all we will be left with are the memories of a time that was so incredibly beautiful and precious. It would be a shame to wish it away or let it pass you by without fully submersing yourself in the beauty and blessings of it.
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