An ever-changing human
I was chatting with a good friend of mine recently, and it got me thinking about parenthood. Before I had kids myself, a lot of my friends with families would say to me, it goes too fast. Life passes you by before you know it, don’t miss out, that kind of thing. Of course, when we had our girls, I came to realise very quickly how fast it truly does go and how right they were.
This kind of thinking can be really depressing though, if you’re not careful. It can feel like your kid’s childhood is passing you by. My eldest recently made the transition to high school, and seemed to have literally become a young adult overnight. Am I losing my baby?
Then, I stopped to think about what living with an ever-changing human really means. No day is like the last. I joked to my friend, how strange it would be to wake up and find your husband had grown a shoe size, or that he suddenly decided he hated a food he had previously loved. This is what it is to live with kids.
Every day you get to meet a whole new person. You get to watch as they evolve literally before your eyes. It’s not always easy, growth never is, but what an adventure to go on together!
In a way, I think of the books and poems I’ve written for children as a snapshot of my own family life. Every day as mine change and grow they inspire me and influence me to write new and evolving stories, and I know this seeps into my writing. Making each story shine with a piece of our own ever changing story.
I hope that when my girls are older, we might look back on them, smiling at the adventure we shared together.