Parents, this post is your warning…
As parents our days can belong. Dreadfully long when the kids are young.
It’s not until we catch a glimpse of our teens, like toddlers in an old photo, that the passing of time stops us in our tracks.
At that moment we’re reminded that our children really are racing toward childhood’s finish line and they will soon cross over into adulthood.
Why are we speeding through life so fast that it takes a Facebook reminder from years past to bring us to the realization that our kids really are growing up right before our eyes?
As parents our days can be long, but the years are definitely short.
We wanted babies. We wanted a fun and connected family. But ever since our bundles of joy arrived, we’ve struggled to keep up with their daily demands. We race through life without even putting much thought into what we’re doing or why we’re even doing it in the first place.
We must slow down.
In Arizona, photo radar cameras wait to catch speeding offenders in my neighborhood. There is a sign to warn us that the camera is ahead, but sometimes our distracted selves only pay attention after the flash goes off in our face and we’ve been caught racing through life again.
It’s only when we get caught that we realize we missed the warning sign and speeding toward our destination will now cost us.
Pretend that this blog post is that yellow warning sign for you. It’s a friendly reminder to slow the heck down because just ahead your child will be turning 18. He will soon head out the door into the real world and parenting as you know it will be over.
And just like I don’t want to see you get that speeding ticket in the mail, I don’t want you to get to your firstborn’s high school graduation and wonder how it all went so fast. Before speeding, even if it’s 10 miles per hour over the speed limit, you should be well aware of the possible consequences of speeding and know your legal options if caught by a local patrol car.
Everyday distractions keep us from focusing on what’s really important in our families. None of us want to get to the end of this full-time parenting gig and say, I should’ve been more present. Or I should’ve made better choices and decisions to create moments with my child while I had the chance.
We only get one opportunity to cultivate a childhood, so we must slow down and make the most of the time we have left. Decide today to plan out what you want for your family this year and then the next and then the one after that. Don’t speed through life without an intentional destination or it may just cost you.
Parents our days are long, but they aren’t long enough.
So true! Thank you for the reminder❤
Perfect post as I was just thinking this yesterday, after seeing a friend’s granddaughter that reminded me of my little one when she was two! I actually got pretty teared up over it. Still am! LOL
THANK YOU!
Yes, yes, YES!!! Thank you. I suddenly find myself at home for the first time in 5 years. I understood, years ago, why I was home (I had four kiddos to raise!) but now. . .when they are teens. . .?? I’m trying to remember that there is still a role for me and I need to figure it out. My kiddies are giving me glimpses — I have time to play cards with them at night. . .I have time to make dinner most nights. . .our weekends aren’t spent running errand b/c I can get most of that done during the week. . .none of this is exactly “exciting” to me, but how exciting was changing diapers and doing laundry back in the day? Investing in the future — be it when they are toddlers or teens — so incredibly important. I appreciate your reminder.
Thank you so much for the remainder. Just tonight my sweet 12 year old young man stood before me and I noticed he had changed so much I’m only 7 months away from a teen and my heart sank a little as I crawled into bed I remembered having this article to read and found myself in tears because life meant to be walked along with not race. Thank you for the warning before I received a ticket.
Message to parents with their babies entering Kindergarden…DO NOT BLINK! And do yourself and child a huge favor, limit electronic (all) time and tread lightly. First sign of irritability, anger from them when they can’t engage, redirect them and do electronic fast. Those of us with kids graduating now, have suffered, negotiated, given in, and drawn the lines as we learned the blessings and cursed this electronic age.