The days are long...

 

There's this almost imperceptible thing that happens to babies... they grow into toddlers and then into children... Yes! I swear!

No matter how hard I try, I cannot actually see the boys growing before my eyes as the days pass by in a whir of testing boundaries, fine-tuning personalities, and just carrying on with the busy job of stepping further and further into Life. But, when I look again they have grown and I am left with a confused expression asking, "When did this happen?" I feel rather sheepish, like I missed out on... oh I dunno... a few months or something!

I talk about having two toddlers, and I realised the other day that - no - they are now little boys. Full of bear growls and pretend games, climbing the furniture and doing mind-blowing stunts on the jungle-gyms down at the Irene Dairy. There's plenty of 'Look mommy. I show you!" and "No! I do it!", and I realise they are taking their independence whether I like it not - can anyone say 'white knuckle fist' as I hold pathetically onto notions of them being little toddlers that I can physically guide to safety?

Oh no. Where I was once all embracing arms and gentle whispers of 'let me help you', building forts or steering them to safety down the slide, my arms are no longer welcome... Now it is more of 'watch out!' and 'how many times must I tell you?' in high pitched desperate tones of utter horror and often times disbelief in what they'll get up to next.

Nighttime storybooks are now not as exciting as finding the next 'big thing' to jump off, and instead of calm and peace I hear squeals of utter delight as the boys collude on the next game - hiding under the dining room table, rearranging furniture in order to reach things they're not supposed to reach, chasing each other up and down the passage, and pretending to be bears, or tigers, or whatever other animal makes impressive growling noises.

The passage of time - 5 years since I became a mother - stops for no one; you're either on it or you'll miss it. And there is nothing quite like a little human being to show you just how fast time flies by. It reminds of one of my favourite sayings by another author and blogger, Gretchen Rubin of The Happiness Project:

THE DAYS ARE LONG, BUT THE YEARS ARE SHORT

There is only so much longer that we'll be greeted with whoops of joy when we tell the boys we're going to search for the Gruffalo until this will become too uncool or boring for them... I don't expect they'll tip-toe into our bedroom at night and sneaking into our bed when they're teenagers. And I doubt I will be faced with imploring pleas to 'come and look mommy' when they grow into young men. 

So, the next time I have to microwave my cup of coffee because I'm too busy with my boys to drink it while it's still hot, I will not frown. I will gladly move over and make space in my bed at night so that my boys can cuddle in close and steal my blankets. And I will dish out my sincerest interest and attention for the myriad of inventions, discoveries and works of art that my boys produce, so proudly, on their own. Parenting is in the details; every last miraculous one of them.

BY Loren Stow