Daddy Newbie Adventures in Fatherhood
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Time.
“You may delay, but time will not.” – Benjamin Franklin
Those 4 letters are so simple yet so complicated, depending on the way you use the word.
- It can make a mountain into dust.
- It can be a witness to life and for death.
- It is an unstoppable force… always moving forward.
For a parent, time is our greatest friend and worst enemy.
We always want more of it…
I know… life is about moments, be they good or bad.
When we’re young, we believe time is endless, that it will never run out. Since becoming a parent, I have become painfully aware that time is not endless, that we have only an assortment of (limited) moments.
I watch my son grow and see him changing right in front of my eyes–every second of every hour of every day. I know it’s the natural order of things. I know it’s a good thing he is growing and changing.
I see him becoming bigger, faster, and stronger. I see his mind, body, and being developing. He’s changing. He is being shaped into a young man. And, every day he shows me new reasons to be proud of him–all that he is, and all that he is becoming.
I also find myself saying (and thinking): “I don’t want this. I don’t want you to grow older. I don’t want you to become a man.”
I find that I’m selfish. Some days, I just want to see my little guy again… and hear him calling me “Dada” again.
For us, as parents, Time is so bittersweet. It moves way too fast… when all we want it to do is slow up, give us a chance to capture-cherish-appreciate the moment… before it slips away.
And, then sickness comes…
When our children are sick or hurt, time seems to slow even more… to drag on. Those long evenings turn into long nights with little-to-no sleep. We make silent promises/deals, as we feed our endless worries. All our will goes to making our little one(s) better.
Life is broken down into a series off moments, or perhaps better-seen as snapshots.
“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flown. How did it get so late so soon? ” – Dr. Seuss
We get so caught up in the chaos of life that we forget… we don’t always notice how quickly we’ve lost track of time (we can’t ever get those moments back).
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