Better add it to the scrapbook..along with his circ ring...man, I don't even like seeing the word.
He's changing every day. The strange thing about being a parent...or one of the strange things...is the fact that now you have a yardstick or realtime clock. When a year used to scream past you'd just say, "Man, where'd the time go?"
Now you will really see how fast time goes because the little man will be making huge strides in the time it used to take mow the lawn.
Once, when mine were younger, I had the oldest 3 out to lunch while mom and the baby napped and an elderly couple came up to me. This happens often because they're so close in age and they are also very well-behaved in restaurants, which is unusual these days. People are always coming up and saying how beautiful they are and they appreciate me taking the time to teach them manners and how to behave in such places. I'm sure you have friends that let their kids run wild, etc.... I allow this to happen 1 time and we never go out with the offenders again. I ask people who's children are behaving this way if they'd like to buy us dinner, if not then let's get some control over this situation.
ANYWAY..this elderly couple came up to us and were saying very nice things and their eye's were watering, which of course got to me as well, and in this moment of connection between us...both parents...both Love our kids..both with way too little time to show it..the gentleman looked me in the eyes and said, "Son, you may not know this, but THESE are the greatest times of you life." My response was "You mean to tell me it gets harder?"
Now I know what he meant. In those pre-school years, they have no other influences (..ie..friends, teachers, etc.) to look up to. In their eyes, WE are the entire world. We can do no wrong and we are heroes to them. It's the little things that mean so much. The first butterfly...the first rain storm without lightning that we can all go out into and rejoice...the first chocolate...bees, stars, carbonated drinks, pickles (pucker), birds, fish, mirrors, leaves falling, standing up to use the potty and aiming at cheerios in the bowl, reading a new book that they memorize by the second reading, campfires, wading in cold water...all the great stuff that we have forgotten about because we're in such a hurry to get to nowhere.
"These are the greatest times of your life!"----a wise man who had long since let his children grow up and away. In that special moment, he and I were the same, just different.
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