You Don't Realize How Fast Time Goes until You're Looking Back at It

My son Cooper recently achieved a major milestone: he surpassed me in height. I knew this day would come, but I can’t help but be sentimental for the little boy who could barely reach my thigh. Now, at almost 14 years old, he is taller than me. While Cooper is thrilled and boastful about this breakthrough, I must admit when we first did the measurement, my eyes welled up with tears.

When Cooper was born, everyone kept telling me to enjoy every moment, time will go by so fast, blah, blah, blah. I found this hard to believe as I fed my infant every few hours while doing endless laundry with little sleep. To me, it felt like time was in slow motion with daily life coming to a crawl with each feeding, every sniffle and cold, and the constant battle for sleep—his and mine. I really couldn’t believe my friends were right, but now 14 years into this mothering gig, I see where they are coming from.

I am an avid Facebook user and each day Facebook provides me with a recap of memories for that day from years prior. Every day, there are pictures of Cooper, going back to when I joined Facebook 13 years ago. As I look at these pictures, I can’t always recall when they were taken and have forgotten about some of the circumstances, but as I view them, I am only filled with joy. I seem to have forgotten much of the daily angst that surrounded that time and admit I can’t believe how fast time has gone by.
Motherhood is tough, and I am fortunate to have a husband who loves being a father and takes on a lot of the responsibility.

Those infant and toddler days are a blur, especially as Cooper now starts to develop into a young man and finds his way in the world. I wonder if I will look back at the teenage years with the same sentimentality. I know the answer is a resounding yes. Now, however, with more life experience under my belt, I am in a position to better enjoy the experience.

The daily grind is full of challenges, questions, and worries, but life is no longer crawling, rather it is speeding forward a little too quickly. My, how they grow . . . don’t blink!

Orignally published on the author’s Substack