Time goes fast

One morning, I woke up and walked to my son’s room. He welcomed me with a smile. He tried to get up but couldn’t, I carried him to a bed we have by his crib. I took off his sleeping sack while he moved gently from side to side. Then, I held and gave him his bottle. Once he was done, I brought him a book and read to him. He looked at the drawings and pointed to them in a very curious but also naive way. Then, we were ready to start the day. I changed his diaper and clothes and carried him down to the floor. He tried to stand up but fell down and started crawling. There he goes, ready to explore the world, not waiting for me. He doesn’t need me as much as he did before.

Today, I woke up and walked to my son’s room. He welcomed me with a “Hallo,” standing up in his crib and holding his sleep sack in a way that signaled he wanted it removed. As I helped him remove his sleep sack, I asked him if he wanted his milk. He responded with a “Ya!” and clapped his hands. As I carried him to the bed, he pointed to it and asked me to put him down. He held his bottle while drinking his milk. Once he finished, he pointed to his bookshelf. I held up a book and asked if he wanted to read that one. He answered “Nuh” while shaking his head. I held up another book, and this time he responded with a “Ya!”. He opened the book, browsed through the pages, pointing and making sounds as if delivering a speech. He was now reading the book to me. As he held and read his book with the same attention I once saw my grandfather read his newspaper, I changed his diaper and helped him change clothes. He now helped me remove his pajamas and put on fresh clothes. Once he was done with his book, he sat on the bed, decisively pointing to the door. I asked if he wanted to go to the living room. “Ya!”. He turned around, lay on the bed with his tummy down, and slowly moved back until his feet touched the floor. He ran out of the room, said “Hallo” to the Alexa in the living room, ready to explore the world, not waiting for me or even looking back. He doesn’t need me as much as he did before, but he still needs me.

Those two mornings were probably not more than two months apart. Time goes by fast indeed. I know soon he will be running into my bedroom and waking me up. He will soon not need me to change his clothes or make his breakfast. One day, I’m pretty sure, he will prefer to explore the world without me, not looking forward so much to hanging out with his old man. He will need me less every day, especially if I do a good job raising him, but he will always need me. Even though he might refuse the idea at some point in his life, deep down he will always know that. One day I will not be around anymore. But if I do a good job as a parent, I will be with him forever. That I know today, every day, every morning that I’m lucky enough to start the day with him. I know where we are heading and that we will get there faster than expected.

Time goes by fast. Savor every moment, good and not-so-good. Know that every moment is an opportunity to experience something that will never come back and also to build, slowly, a better future for them. Time might go fast, but the role of a parent is also timeless. The better the job we do as parents, the more we will be able to stay with our child forever, right by their side, where and when we are needed, regardless of time.

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