We've all heard it from a seasoned parent or grandparent: "Don't blink. It goes so fast."
As soon as we became parents, we started creating to do's, schedules, routines, and the little moments that should have brought us joy began to disguise themselves as mundane. This is when that silent enemy we call Time becomes our greatest adversary.
Time moves relentlessly forward and most definitely picks up speed when we're busy, tired, and overwhelmed. We begin to miss the small things. Only in the calm after the storm do we feel it's effect, and ask, "Where has the time gone?"
Can I encourage you? You're doing a really good job. I mean that. I don't need to know you to know that you parent the absolute best way you know how. So let's take it to the next level:
Be present.
Notice the beauty in the tangled curls you brush each morning. Savor the 6th off-key rendition of Old McDonald. Soak up the excitement your child emits when they scream, "Watch this!"
Most of the stuff our kids do is actually hilarious. Make the choice to laugh with them instead of stifle a smile.
During each "time" in your daily routine - mealtime, bath time, nap time, and bedtime - embrace what's right in front of you. Be so fully immersed in right now that you don't have the mental or emotional capacity to be anywhere else.
This is choosing gratitude, despite our circumstances. From that perspective you'll start to see your present, everyday life with a new set of eyes.
You'll find that love is alive and well inside your own four walls, even when it's been really freaking hard. You'll find value in your calling as a parent, realizing, or remembering, that you are the only one who can be their parent. That you have been uniquely called to the job, and no one else can do it better.
So Grandma was right. Time is the enemy. We've known it all along, but having kids makes us really start to feel it. That tension can be a burden if we let it. That tension is exactly why I do what I do.
I am passionate about documenting the everyday lives of families because this is the stuff we're made of. Every time we pack a lunchbox or fold the laundry we're creating our family's legacy. Let us be present, and proud of the place we've been called to, and not let those moments slip by.
Make sure to follow Amber and her business Amber Irene Photography on social media!
And don't forget to enter our current Giveaway to win one of five Documentary Family Sessions she is giving away!
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