This a mantra that every mother /parent should adopt. It will help you through the tougher times, and help to treasure the happy , fun times because , they too will pass in to childhood memory. What brought on this bout of nostalgia ? I was sitting holding my wee one, who is now 10 months old and leaping ( pun intended , wonder weeks leaps get it)? And romping through the stepping stones and smashing the milestone at the rate of knots. And she is almost too big to sit comfortably in my lap in the rocking chair. She was snuggling in and we have to rearrange to get her comfy. I thought this isn't the first time we have had to do this, she used to fit in the crook of my arm , then in my elbow and lap and now there are legs hanging over arm rests and or towards the floor. It occurred to me that time is passing and things are changing. This was a wake up call for me and to remind you also, to slow down a beat. Take a mental picture of how they were, grab a keep sake of their shoe or t-shirt size right now and sit back and reminisce on how far they have come, how far they are going and how well they are doing it.
But it’s also a saying to chant in your head over and over to keep your sanity or drown out whatever is happening in your life. Its great for when things are tough and they are teething and grizzling and you want to rip your ears off . When they wake again , just as you go them settled in the night. Or they poop and it's an up the back and in their ears job, just as you were about to go out. Every curse word floats across your lips and sometimes out loud. Just say to yourself , This too shall pass. They will go to sleep or the teeth will cut, their bowels won't do this forever ! The phase will end and another will begin , and you will find yourself looking back , remember when ... usually followed thank goodness that ended. But they will never be as big or as little as they are now. That moment, be it stressful or pleasurable will not happen again one day and once it is gone , it is gone. So when you are rocking them or changing them for the umpteenth time , think to yourself, you really don't want to be any where else or with anyone else.
One day everything they do with you and or you do for them , will be the last. My wee ones goes down to sleep rather than asleep most nights , but there is that rare occasion she falls asleep in my arms, and I relish it and give myself permission to sit there on the that couch for how ever long I god dam want to and hold her. She already is finishing up on breast-feeding. The hour long feeds that we used to have to prepare for, have you got the phone, tv remote and glass of water with in reach are now 5 min top ups and on the go again. She is a crawler / nearly walker, gone are our hazy daze of chilling on the floor. At play group she is off without a backwards glance , gone are the days of her needing me in every way. So I say to my self, this too shall pass and try to capture it for prosperity. There are no rules when it comes to this. I give you permission to hold them , cuddle them , kiss them till they physically push you away. And even then do it. To have them in bed with you , snuggled on the couch , or still both of you in PJ's at two pm in the afternoon. Because one day will be the last nappy, the last spoonful that you give them, the last story you read and the last bath time you are allowed to be part of. The last time they will hold your hand or walk with you to school or their face light up at the school gate.
No matter what the situation , we need to remember that this too shall pass and we will get left behind, so treasure, cherish, remember, feel, keep every moment close to your heart. Make every moment a love letter to your child forever xx ( and buy a bigger rocking chair )!