My baby is no longer a baby
Published:Monday | May 24, 2010 | 12:00 AM
On the day my son turned one, I received an email from www.babycenter.com saying that he was now a toddler. WHAT? Where did my little baba go? Surely, he's still an infant?
Alas, he is indeed considered to be a young toddler. I'm having heart palpitations as I write this, and I'm not sure how to wrap my head around the fact that my child is growing up. Sure, I noticed the small changes in him, as they happened over the last 54 weeks, but all of a sudden he's not to be referred to as a babe in arms?
Don't get me wrong, I love that he can communicate with my husband and I, shaking his head and saying "no" in his sweet husky voice (believe it girls!), when I tell him it's time to leave play dates (with the girls!). And it's adorable that he can pass a few specific items, when we ask him to. However, I feel like he will slip into the teen years before I get a chance to catch my breath. Will it be necessary to prepare all his meals? No. Will he want to give me cuddles then? Unlikely. Will he need me to bathe him? Actually, I hope not!
best time of my life
My mother always tells me that the older my siblings and I became, the more she loved having us around. She said that it's been wonderful to become our friend. I understand that, truly I do, but I have enjoyed every step of these first 12 months, and would relive them if I had a chance. This has literally been the best time of my life. That being said, it makes me very proud to watch him grow into a boy, developing a beautiful personality. It is a bittersweet experience because I cannot imagine how anything could top what I feel now. (I say this to myself every night, by the way.)
You know, I wonder if many people stop and think about this? Most of you don't have the time, or at least you don't believe that you do, and what does it matter if you can't change the fact that the clock just keeps ticking? It's all very deep and philosophical of me to bring these questions up, but shouldn't we be savouring these gorgeous moments? What destination are we racing to?
Okay, so you might not be interested in getting into this type of discussion, but what about the practical disadvantages of your baby growing up too quickly? Number one, money! It's going to get rather expensive. Only last week, someone was telling me that they have made the decision not to send their kid to preschool because kindergarten, and up, will prove costly enough. Then there's the feeding of them. The bigger they are, the more they'll need. And don't even get me started on when they are able to ask you for the latest iPod, iPad, and whatever comes next, because EVERYONE has one! Number two, three, four, five, and so on: they are all going to answer back, jump on the table you told them not to, climb the tree that's swaying in the wind, sneak out of the house in the middle of the night ... as I said, and so on!
The truth is parents, if you did it, your children will too. If you can think of it, so can they. And if you can be surprised and shocked by anything, they will be the ones to show you just how much! Ah ha! I must have your attention now, folks! Surely you can understand why I'm sad that my baby is no longer a baby.