Didn't Even Get To Say Goodbye | Mikala Albertson
One day God gave me a gift . . .
My newborn was the love of my life. I almost couldn’t pull my eyes away from his perfect face. I knew every cry and exactly how to comfort him. I fed him and changed diapers and breathed in the sweet scent from the top of his head.
I never knew this kind of LOVE existed!
Then one morning I picked him up from the crib and found a chubby baby. His bright eyes danced at the sight of me, and his dimpled face broke into a drooly grin.
My newborn was gone.
I didn’t even get to say goodbye.
Link: Dear Son: I’ve Loved Every Stage With You and I’m Never Ready to Say Goodbye
I got a link to this post from Coney. It was written by a mom, for moms. But, even as a dad, this post still tugs at my heart strings. You'll never know when your child grows up and moves on from one stage to another. Today he might still sleep in your arms, tomorrow he will sleep on his own bed. Today he might still be a toddler, tomorrow he might already be a preschooler. You'll never know if today was the last day you got to carry your kid. This is why I've started recording on my journal the days that I got to carry Davin. I want to remember the last day I got to carry him. Eventually, I will do the same thing for Caleb when he grows older.
Also as parents, we should take more photos and record videos of our kids. The point is not to share them online, but so we have something to look back on. I don't remember what it was like to have Davin as a newborn or as an infant. I can never go back to that time when he was that small. I can never go back to that time when I could carry him in my arms, and walk around the house to get him to fall asleep. I'm at that stage with Caleb now, but with Davin, it's all just a memory. And memories are all we have of the past. This is where photos and videos come in. It can help flesh out our memories so we can relive them better in our minds.
That said, taking photos and recording videos shouldn't take priority over actually spending time with your kids. If it comes down to recording a video, or spending time with your kids, choose to spend time with them. Ideally, the parent who is not engaged with the kids at the moment should be the one taking a photo or recording a video.
I'm writing this as if I'm giving advice to other parents. But really, I'm writing this to myself. To remind myself that time is something I can never get back. So, I need to make it count. I need to make as much memories as I can with my wife and kids. Because the day will come, when Davin and Caleb will leave the house and it will be just me and Coney. I hope that when that time comes, we'll have lots of memories to look back on.
Tags: #Bookmarks #Parenthood