Parenting a toddler is hard work, but there are so many immediate rewards. Excited "mama!" cries and big toothy smiles and desperate little hugs and cuddly sweaty naps. I cannot imagine a time where my baby boy will not love me this fiercely. To be honest, thinking about it gives me mild panic attacks in the middle of the night when he is all cuddled up to me , breathing his sweet baby breath on my shoulder. How on earth am I going to handle my little boy growing up, not needing me so much, being mad and angsty with me as a teen, getting a girlfriend and then a wife who will take my spot as number one female in his life? At this point, it is unfathomable to me that any of this is possible, let alone inevitable. And everyone that sighs as they pet my kids and tells me to enjoy it because it goes so fast? That does not help. It makes me feel guilty any time I say no to reading about dinosaurs for the thirtieth time that morning so I can get laundry started. Stupid mommy, I will regret that one day, right? But my family also needs clean underwear. Sacrifices must be made. I can't literally soak up every moment and hold it close, there is life to be lived here. But it still makes my heart hurt to think that one day I will be the one reaching over to some cute baby and wistfully telling their mommy how fast time goes by.
I guess that is why God gives you eighteen years to raise them and not 6-8 days like birds. He knows mommies need a bit more time.
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