When you become a parent, you find yourself celebrating a lot of firsts. First tooth, first word, first steps and the first day of school. We try to prepare our children for the firsts in life. Maybe we should focus on preparing ourselves as well.
Two major firsts took place in our family this weekend. Princess had her first date which coincided with her first prom. Good times!
Lost in the excitement of finding the perfect shoes and getting a mother-daughter mani and pedi was the fact that this was a first for me too. My baby is careening toward adulthood at an alarming pace.
After all the pictures had been taken on Saturday, I stood there and watched my daughter. The little chubby cheeked toddler has grown into a beautiful young lady. I hugged her and told her to have fun. I released Princess to her date. She smiled and waved. Then she was gone to experience a new adventure.
I was left with conflicting emotions. A part of me was happy that my daughter reached this milestone even as the mother in me mourned the little girl who only lives on now in memories and old photographs.
Yes, parenting is a moment of firsts. I’ll continue to help prepare my kids. And take lots of pictures.
Which parenting “firsts” have you recently gone through?