Today just like any ordinary day, I coached my son through the process of getting ready for school. I’m not going to lie my friends, Aaden has his own checklist to follow each morning. C’mon it’s nothing crazy, it’s just how we maintain progress each morning without me constantly barking orders at him.
Today was picture day so of course I wanted him to look extra handsome so I picked out his outfit for the day. While I know I am incredibly bias, he looked pretty darn handsome—right???? Of course I took pictures, lots of them, just like the typical millennial, helicopter mom, who can’t wait to post the picture on Facebook to boast about how darn cute her nine year old is.
While I was staring into my phone, trying to find the clever words to explain the love I have for that tiny human so I could share with the 3000 friends I have on Facebook or Instagram, I actually felt an overwhelming desire to start crying—I felt like in that moment I was looking at a young boy, he was no longer the baby who I could dress up in anything and pose any way I wanted for a picture. He was no longer the little boy who never got his clothes dirty because he really only went from my arms, to the clean surfaces of the couch, floor, car seat, crib, or stroller. He was no longer the little boy who curiously planted his first carrot seeds and excitedly pulled up his first carrot, understanding that he was capable of growing food. He was no longer the little boy holding his first day of Kindergarten sign just the way I asked before confidently strutting into that adorable elementary school and happily returning home each evening with no homework only plans to play. As I was staring at that picture, searching for the clever words, I realized I was looking at a 4th grade, big boy, who knows how to do math better than me(#fact), can certainly navigate just about any electronically device better than anyone in our house, puts gel in his hair each morning, wears mens deodorant and most importantly, has a heart full of light and compassion. In that moment, I realized the extra few minutes with him, not searching for the clever words while staring into my smartphone screen(yes, peeps, I am so guilty of this on more occasions than I want to admit), were exactly what I needed.
Parenting has been by far the biggest and toughest job I have done yet and I know that the challenges and emotional waves are just beginning in some sense, but boy, there’s nothing more rewarding than looking at a little human who you grew inside of you, you’ve nurtured day in and day out, you’ve tirelessly mulled over decisions for, you’ve endured endless hours of mom related guilt for no apparent reason but has surely take years off your life. I am 100% certain that there’s no perfect way to parent and there’s certainly no Facebook post clever enough to describe the love between a mother and their child, so I think I’ll save the effort and just leave it at that. #nocaptionneeded
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