It’s been nearly six years since my husband and I took the official plunge into parenthood and welcomed our oldest son into the world. Looking back six years, it’s amazing to see how much our big kid has grown and changed, something I’m sure every parent can attest to.
The first few months of having a baby at home are now mostly just a blur. At the time it felt as if we would never again get a full nights sleep, and that probably is true. It is now already seven months ago that we embarked on our next phase with Gavin, as he started kindergarten.
I recently read an article online that nearly made me cry, as it spoke about the many milestones parents have to look forward to. The article was a response to a grumpy cashier who told a young, tired looking couple with a newborn baby that things weren’t going to get better as the baby would eventually turn into a teenager (assumingly, not in a good way).
As I read the article, I thought about all the milestones we have gone through with our two boys. I think every parent has been caught in the heat of the moment, where they felt extreme exasperation as their child threw a tantrum in the grocery store, or in my more recent case, as my two-year-old ran around the office with a toy gun repeating words that probably shouldn’t come out of a two-year-old’s mouth.
I’ve certainly caught myself thinking, “when will this phase be over,” only to later reflect and find I miss the silly moments that come with raising a toddler, or the calmness of holding a sleeping newborn in your arms.
Of course dirty diapers, strange eating habits, and irrational fears are something we all want our children to outgrow, but they are a small price to pay for the pride and joy a parent feels when they see their child come home from school, and after months of anxiety of getting to school, tells you he had an “awesome” day – finally.
Although the changes in a baby seem to come in quick succession, as they smile and giggle for the first time, then learn to sit a few months later, and quickly learn to walk after that, only to learn their first swear word a short while after that, the changes I’ve seen in my son since he began school in the fall are amazing.
He cried or put up a fight nearly every morning the first four months of the school year, and although he still puts up the occasional battle, seeing him walk confidently into class, even when mommy is a good 15 minutes late dropping him off, is a relief.
And through the tears, the things he’s learnt are amazing. Counting backwards in French, singing songs he learnt in music class, and asking if he can invite some of his favourite classmates to his birthday party are just a few of the things that make me a pretty proud mommy lately.
Happy birthday to my favourite almost-six-year-old.
