Missing out
Parents in all their forms - biological, grandparents, godparents, guardians, shouldn't miss the episodes of their childrens lives. The first years are particularly intense, they unfold like flowers planted in rich soil.
Sadly, I know it's not always possible.
At 4 months, when I was just getting a hang on breastfeeding Mich developed his first teeth. Eeish! that's pretty early - my thoughts exactly. He then chose to sharpen them on me, not nice.
When Mich was 10 months old, he wanted to walk urgently. He would hold my hand and have me walk anywhere and everywhere with him. On January 1st, 2005 he walked unaided, the hard work had paid off.
By the time we left Uganda, Mich was only two and a half, he could barely construct logical sentences. By the time we landed at the JFK airport in New York the boy was fluent...something about the flight I guess.
Coming up to his third birthday we were sweating it out with colors. For some reason he never got his colors right. He knew to repeat the color immediately after I said it, but ask him seconds later and he would mention something totally different. I was getting little frustrated, most other kids younger than him knew their colors.
He woke up one day knowing all his colours, even Burgundy and bitter chocolate (just kidding).
For a long time he complained that feeding himself was such hard work. He would take two bites and say "mummy I'm tired". Sam or I would feed him.
Now he feeds himself, and I don't recall the moment things changed.
I loved Lego's growing up, it was fun putting those blocks together, setting up all sorts of things. Well actually I didn't have the legos but a friend of mine did, I was actually punished for stealing a door. Yup, it was that bad. But Mich? he couldn't be bothered. I just didn't get it, couldn't he see how much fun he could have with the blocks, their colors? I mean if even Sam's professor could bring Lego's for a class project, surely ...
The only thing Mich would do with the Lego pieces was throw them around and it was my job to find and return them.
He turned four and now he makes some really intricate pieces. Sometimes we hear him shouting out of frustration when he can't get the blocks right.
Now he is late for school because he was trying to construct something. Last night, around 3am there was lots of noise coming from his room. I found him playing with his lego, "but mummy, I can't sleep".
There was a time when we had to convince Mich to eat, now he asks for seconds. The first time it happened Sam and I looked at each other in disbelief. These are truly small miracles.
Now do you see why I don't think parents should miss out? You blink just once and something new is unfolding.
Sadly, I know it's not always possible.
At 4 months, when I was just getting a hang on breastfeeding Mich developed his first teeth. Eeish! that's pretty early - my thoughts exactly. He then chose to sharpen them on me, not nice.
When Mich was 10 months old, he wanted to walk urgently. He would hold my hand and have me walk anywhere and everywhere with him. On January 1st, 2005 he walked unaided, the hard work had paid off.
By the time we left Uganda, Mich was only two and a half, he could barely construct logical sentences. By the time we landed at the JFK airport in New York the boy was fluent...something about the flight I guess.
Coming up to his third birthday we were sweating it out with colors. For some reason he never got his colors right. He knew to repeat the color immediately after I said it, but ask him seconds later and he would mention something totally different. I was getting little frustrated, most other kids younger than him knew their colors.
He woke up one day knowing all his colours, even Burgundy and bitter chocolate (just kidding).
For a long time he complained that feeding himself was such hard work. He would take two bites and say "mummy I'm tired". Sam or I would feed him.
Now he feeds himself, and I don't recall the moment things changed.
I loved Lego's growing up, it was fun putting those blocks together, setting up all sorts of things. Well actually I didn't have the legos but a friend of mine did, I was actually punished for stealing a door. Yup, it was that bad. But Mich? he couldn't be bothered. I just didn't get it, couldn't he see how much fun he could have with the blocks, their colors? I mean if even Sam's professor could bring Lego's for a class project, surely ...
The only thing Mich would do with the Lego pieces was throw them around and it was my job to find and return them.
He turned four and now he makes some really intricate pieces. Sometimes we hear him shouting out of frustration when he can't get the blocks right.
Now he is late for school because he was trying to construct something. Last night, around 3am there was lots of noise coming from his room. I found him playing with his lego, "but mummy, I can't sleep".
There was a time when we had to convince Mich to eat, now he asks for seconds. The first time it happened Sam and I looked at each other in disbelief. These are truly small miracles.
Now do you see why I don't think parents should miss out? You blink just once and something new is unfolding.
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