Children, like seasons, should be enjoyed in the moment. Isn’t it funny how fast time seems to go by? With kids, it seems like we just keep waiting for them to do the next thing, like going from a baby to a toddler, from playing in the park to playing in the schoolyard. The seasons seem to follow this same pattern. We keep waiting for the next holiday season to roll around before we’ve even enjoyed this one! I refuse to be pulled into this. I want to enjoy each stage and each season while I’m in it.
I just now saw a commercial on TV for Christmas tree lights! It’s still September, right? We have the two major holidays of Halloween and Thanksgiving before Christmas rolls around. I absolutely love the fall season and I am going to continue to enjoy it without thinking about Christmas. In fact, I’m not even thinking about Halloween or Thanksgiving yet. I’m going to enjoy the colors, the smells, and the beautiful changes of this season while it’s here, without thinking about the next three holidays coming up. I’m almost ready to include Halloween and, in fact, I bought candy yesterday but that’s mostly so that I can eat it myself over the next 4 ½ weeks.
Similarly, when you have a baby and you’re sitting in the dark silence of the night, you’re waiting for the time when he sleeps through the night. Once that happens, you’re waiting for him to crawl, then to walk. Stop, though, and take a moment to enjoy each one of those stages of his life. It doesn’t seem like this middle of the night crying or exhaustion would leave much for you to appreciate, but you will never be that close to your baby again. It’s just you and him. Nothing else in the world matters but that. Enjoy that time. Very soon, you will be just a part of their world, not their entire world. Hug him, love him, and appreciate those quiet (and loud) moments between just the two of you. Keep doing that through every single stage. Enjoy each and every season of his life for what it is.
To me, it seems like these three holidays coming up are a lot like children going from your arms to going to school; it seems like it happens so quickly! Take the time to appreciate each and every step. Try not to rush it along or let it pass you by while you wait for the next milestone. I liken the long, cold, dark stretch of winter between Christmas and Memorial Day to the adolescent stage of kids. If any of you have had teens, I think you’ll know why. That time seems like it will never end! Have faith; just like the seasons this, too, will pass and continue on as it has forever. Try not to rush it along; work to create some of those moments that you will want to remember for years to come. This season is just as important, if not more so, than any other. Celebrate it with them and enjoy the moments because this season, too, will pass.
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