On the one hand you have the big debate about children growing up too fast and being exposed to 'sexualisation' too early with fashions and media and on the other you have parents, especially mothers who seemingly have trouble seeing their children grow-up and develop onto the next stage of their life.
At this time of year particularly, many parents struggle with that known feeling that your children are growing and changing and somehow you are losing something. And in a way, we are but, this is a change that should be celebrated as a step of development and hopefully accomplishment for them. But yet, most of us feel a moment of loss.
This week saw the end of Sophie's life in kindergarten, she has been there since we arrived in Portugal, 3 years ago and although her teachers have changed each year, this year she had some great and caring teachers who we will miss. She will move onto pre-school, ready to start primary school next year. It also marks the start of 5 day schooling, from the part-time of kindergarten. And although this is a great step for her, it makes me sad, she is no longer my little girl somehow and also the flexibility of our time will be gone, reducing our time together to holidays and weekends.
Today is my baby girl Grace's second birthday, marking another change, my baby is definately no longer a baby, she walks, she talks (kind of) and shows independence in choice. I should be happy for her and her new found skills with age but it just makes me sad, that my baby is not my baby anymore and probably there will be no more babies for me.
But life goes on and time passes, it is our job to make the most of that time we have we our precious gifts, that are our children and to help them grow into strong, responsible and successful people. Unfortunately we cannot stop time, much as sometimes we would like and keep our children as they are, but we have to let them grow up.
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