When I started to think about blogging I had all kind’s of ideas in my head but where do I start, what would be my first blog ? I often think of parents and the anguish when they leave their little ones for the first time. Maybe their only a few weeks old and you’re having a little time out or heading back to work after maternity leave thats a big one, so many emotions there, you wonder who will miss who more. Then they finish play school and wow their heading to big school, that first day bringing your child to school can be so scary, and Im talking about you the parent never mind the child. You have to accept that they are growing up and not your little baby any more, it’s not easy.
The next few years tick on as they go through primary school and become involved in other activities, achieving different goals and milestones along the way, then suddenly they are about to embark into secondary school. You sit and wonder where have those last 8 years gone, they went too fast.
So their goes your “baby” all confident in themselves that they are now all grown up and again you wonder who will miss who more. They are spending more time with friends and possibly making their own way to those after school activities. When a gang of friends come over to visit You strain to hear what they are laughing at but dont understand their personal jokes. The next 5/6 years are filled with personality changes, fancy hairstyles, funky fashion, exams, creating wonderful friendships and then its all over, the final exams come and all they think about, is college.
College you say, but it was only yesterday that I was holding you in my arms feeding you, bathing you, helping you take your first steps, ride a bike, buying your first uniform, helping you with your make up for that performance, where does time go.
When your child goes off to college it seems so strange they have this new found independence and a whole new bunch of friends along with the old ones, but if thair away from home you dont meet the new ones. You look forward to seeing them at weekends and holidays but you know they are becoming adults and dont really need you anymore, well for the washing and maybe mums home cooking.
So you think thats hard to deal with, only seeing them every weekend and holidays, wait till they tell you their moving away, to another country, ya across water, to another land, where you will depend on skyp and viber to chat to them. This is the big one, you thought they were going to live with you forever, always be your baby, well they still are but they are adults now.
This is the hard one, no more music playing, no singing or laughter when the friends are in, no stomping up and down the stairs in the high heels, or walking in with mucky football boots, no “ can you give us a lift” . The house seems so quiet, so empty. As you sit on the bed in your child’s room and look at the posters on the wall, funny photos of them with their friends, and bottles of perfume/aftershave, and stacks of empty dvd and cd cases, you drop a tear. A tear of sadness that they are not here for you to see whenever, a tear of joy that you have got them this far, that they are confident, and mature and happy to be living their life as they wish. A tear of pride, you have brought them to this point and look how they shine and a tear of happiness, happy that they can live life without you, they have reached independence. Well almost you will always be their parent and they your baby.
So when you leave your baby for the first time, do it with joy.
