Is Time A Parents Enemy?

 

When a child is born it is natural for a parent to think about the future. One thing that most parents want to know is how their child is doing compared to other children. A milestone is one way that a parent can watch their children grow up over increments of time. We can use language skills, agility or growth rate to gauge a child’s success towards maturity. We use these various turning point in life to show us stages of development or significant events (something a child has never done before).

 

Time Passes

 

Before Xander was born, my wife and I began thinking about his future and the various milestones he would face. Like most parents, we discussed his first steps, first words and even the first day of school. Time passes quickly and we have already seen several of the milestones we discussed. As a father, I had the “bitter-sweet” taste of experiencing a future milestone last week.

My wife and I both feel that our sons education is important and we want him to attend pre-kindergarten (pre-k). Enrollment for the fall term was last week. The plan was for all of us to go together and enroll Xan in pre-k. Unfortunately, plans don’t always work the way we want and my wife was unable to go with us when we enrolled for school (it was the first day of a new job for her).

 

Excitement Builds

 

I had a hard time sleeping the night before I enrolled Xander in school. My thoughts kept drifting towards “change” and Xander being gone part of the day. I was feeling happy, sad and excited. I am still not sure I ever drifted off to sleep. I have always known that my job as a parent is to allow my child to grow up. I realize that our life together is only temporary and someday soon I will let him go out, on his own, into the world.

The next morning, Xander was so excited about enrolling for school that he woke up on his own (extra early). Xan acted so grown up with a confidence and maturity that surprised me. As we were getting ready to leave I explained to him that we were enrolling for the fall and he wouldn’t go to school today. He looked at me with his new-found maturity and said, “I don’t go now. I go later.”  Normally, on a cold morning, Xan would argue with me about wearing a coat or gloves.  Today, he asked for his coat, gloves and a scarf without incident. As we drove to the school he never stopped talking, “I going to school!” or “I play with kids at school!“

I did my parental job, filled out the paperwork and turned it in. I did my best and acted excited for Xander but I know that our life is about to change. School is where a child’s life journey begins to take form. Children are able to share ideas with their peers and make many new discovers about the world. It is something that Xander looks forward too and I will give him the space he needs to grow.

The maturity level of my son was clear when we finished and it was time to leave. He left the school without a fuss. As we were walking back to the car he smiled at me and told me to look back at the school. I looked towards the school and I heard him say, “That my school soon!” I smiled and answered him, “Yes, son it is your school soon.” I am almost positive he didn’t see the tear in my eye.

 

Time – Friend and Foe

 

We measure time in seconds, minutes and hours. You hear people say that it either moves to fast or to slow with little variance in either direction. Many people wish they could stop time or relive something in the past. Books, movies and television programs show us ideas about trying to control time. Unfortunately, it is something that is elusive and we can’t control. Time is precious and it is the greatest enemy of a parent.

In my opinion, the most amazing thing about having children is watching them grow up. As a stay-at-home dad, I have been fortunate to watch things through my son’s eyes and sense of wonder. He has allowed me to see beauty in things that I had long forgotten from my childhood. My son has given me a new-found appreciation for dinosaurs, numbers and building blocks. As a father, I believe that enrolling for school is a milestone that is as important as the first day of school. Hopefully, I won’t cry as much when that day comes.

 

Milestones are a way that parents can measure a child’s maturity or growth rate. Did you have any special milestones in your child’s life that made you sad or will someday in the future make you sad? Do you think all milestones are equally important? Tell me in the comments!

 

You can read my last post here: The Real Twas The Night Before Christmas If you like this post you can follow me on my facebook fan page, Dadblunders.

 

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Tags: first day of school, kindergarten, significant events, stages of development