Appreciate your little ones...

beautiful_ravens

I saw this pop up on FBook...my friend had really liked the message, but it stabbed me right in the squidgy parts, so very true.

The Last Time

From the moment you hold your baby in your arms,
you will never be the same.
You might long for the person you were before,
When you have freedom and time,
And nothing in particular to worry about.

You will know tiredness like you never knew it before,
And days will run into days that are exactly the same,
Full of feedings and burping,
Nappy changes and crying,
Whining and fighting,
Naps or a lack of naps,
It might seem like a never-ending cycle.

But don’t forget …
There is a last time for everything.
There will come a time when you will feed
your baby for the very last time.
They will fall asleep on you after a long day
And it will be the last time you ever hold your sleeping child.

One day you will carry them on your hip then set them down,
And never pick them up that way again.
You will scrub their hair in the bath one night
And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.
They will hold your hand to cross the road,
Then never reach for it again.
They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,
And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.

One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus”
and do all the actions,
Then never sing them that song again.
They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,
The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.
You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your last dirty face.
They will run to you with arms raised for the very last time.

The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time
Until there are no more times.
And even then, it will take you a while to realize.

So while you are living in these times,
remember there are only so many of them
and when they are gone, you will yearn for just one more day of them.
For one last time.

-Author Unknown-

justme111

Soppy me crying at reading it.

McKneff

me too, soppy old !!!!!!

balletshoes

me too - but as well as lots of "last times" there continue to be lots of "first times" all through your childs life (with lots more opportunities for proud/sad/squidgy-part-stabbing parental sniffling ).

Malthusian

I find the notion that we should feel regret when a child becomes strong enough to cross the road on their own or wash themselves quite creepy. Pride would seem the more healthy reaction. But maybe I'm just emotionally unintelligent.

balletshoes

I didn't get regret from that poem? Just the inevitability of moving from one phase to another, constantly and all through a child's life, as their parent.

pollyanna24

I like poems like that, they make me think.

And it makes me want to appreciate the times I have with my children.

I work a lot, so I do try and make the most of what time I do get.

Last night was an example. My 8 year old was at a sleepover and I'd just got in from work. My 6 year old wanted to play Barbies which seriously is the most boring thing everrrrr!!!!

But, you know what, I sat there for half hour pretending to be the older sister and the dad while she sat there and was the mum and the baby.

Yes, I found it boring, but it was nice seeing her imagination run riot and she loved the fact that I got involved.

The way I thought about it was, well, she won't want to be doing this when she's 12, and I will probably miss it, so make the most of it!

DigForVictory

I heard a toddler serenading his mum as she buckled his car seat & felt thoroughly nostalgic. Noone sings to see me smile.

That said the teenagers can operate the washing machine & make me a cup of tea exactly how I like it. No matter how old or young they are, enjoy the small stuff.

pattycake

But remember, if you are lucky enough to have grandchildren, you get to do all the fun stuff again. Plus you can hand them back at the end of the day.

I can recommend it!

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I told the OH yesterday that the weirdest thing was being asked if I wanted a drink and the eldest walking up to the bar, getting her bank card out of her purse and playing for it, instead of waiting for me to get my money out.

He said for him, as his two are a few years younger, that my okaying my youngest's request for a cider and him buying it for her (she's 17) felt weird as he's still at the stage where he has to say 'no, chocolate milkshake and a packet of haribo is not a valid dietary choice for breakfast' .


But they'll happen for his two. Yes, I loved the picking up stage when my back wasn't hurting and I didn't have five bags of shopping as well as a stroppy toddler throwing herself down in sainsbury's entrance, but being hugged by somebody startlingly attractive, smart - and tall, so very tall - because they want to, not because you're the most important thing in their tiny world, is a pretty good first, too.

Mrs_Ryan

From someone who will never know these moments and whose heart still aches desperately for the babies I lost then I would say to those who have those moments- you are very lucky and just remember how fortunate you are to have them not sadness to lose them ❤️