My baby girl.
In 10 years…
She will be half-grown. She will pick out her own clothes, read her own menu, and will (hopefully) have hair.
She will have her own friends. Her own agenda. Her own definition of right and wrong.
She will think her friends are smarter than me. Cooler than me. Better than me.
She will have worries and stress. She will have goals and success.
She will recognize some of her strengths. She will be aware of several of her flaws. She will have a personality that is perfectly her.
In 10 years…
Will she cuddle? Give me hugs? Hold my hand?
Will she trust me with her secrets? Allow me to fix her boo-boo’s, or her homework, or her drama? Will she believe me when I tell her, “This too shall pass”?
Will she argue? Will she bargain? Will she demand I buy her those Hunter boots because anybody who is anybody has that exact same pair?
Will she still be a kid? Will she trust without stipulations? Believe without limitations? Will she still imagine the impossible?
In 10 years…
Will I miss this? The sleepless nights, the dirty diapers, or the daily (sometimes double daily) walks to the park.
Will I remember her at one? The strawberry hair, the deep belly laugh, and the arms that reach up for “Momma!”?
In 10 years…
I pray she still knows she is safe in my arms. I pray she knows I’m her biggest fan. I pray she never wavers in her assurance that she is loved for exactly who she is.
Selfishly, I pray the next 10 years slow down enough for me to savor every single second. Just as I have for her entire first year.
Happy First Birthday, My Little Ladybug! Forever my baby girl.
Love you to the moon and back, today… 10 years from now… forever!
XOXO- Mom
As a mom on the backside of raising my own, I can tell you, with tears in my eyes, that there is no amount of time that is slow enough to capture those moments with your child. Oh how I wish I could go back and have a ten year old again. Don’t get me wrong, I truly cherish the adult relationship my daughter and I are growing. I just miss those cuddles, those cute moments, the innocence of a child, the constant “needing” me.
YES! I miss being needed most of all. There were times where it felt overwhelming, “WHEN DO I GET TIME FOR MYSELF????” I can answer that question now. I get time for myself when they make friends and have play dates. When they go to school, when they learn to drive. When they can go on dates. When they have activities that I am not included in. Next year, when my baby graduates high school. And, next year when she moves to college. When I am not needed as ‘mommy’ anymore, but as an adult friend and ‘Mom’.
When she was a baby, I quit my career to stay home. I did not want to miss ANYTHING and I wanted to make sure I did everything right. Looking back, I did the best I could and have been rewarded with two amazing children who will go forth and create amazing worlds for themselves. I guess I was a success as a parent. Yet, it still wasn’t enough time.
Cherish every second. They really do grow at the speed of light.
Tears!!! Love this. Imagining the wonderful young woman she will be!!
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