Today is the 24th anniversary of one of the most
joyful and momentous occasions in my life.
At 6.34am on a Sunday morning, I became a mother. My life changed
forever. The person we celebrate today
is a Gentle Man – kind, compassionate, thoughtful and wise. He is also gorgeous and exceedingly astute
and determined. I admire him greatly and love him totally.
I also miss him, as he lives abroad at the moment. We do speak when we can, but that isn’t quite
the same as the casual comment type conversations of everyday living together.
He was an adorable baby, and we had so much fun learning how
to play together, with him being the teacher to us adults of what is important
in life and how to delight in every achievement. Baby babble became precious words. Words became concepts. Concepts became theories. Today he is a PhD Pure Maths student. (Not that I am suggesting a linear
progression of those things – I believe some concepts and theories happen
before words. Words are just a way of
communicating them!)
This is a photo of him teaching Andrew the crucial art of play. They both look quite different now, particularly with regards to hair styles 😊
He, being the elder child, was of course the prototype. I look back now and think of all the things I would do differently. TD probably benefits from some of the lessons we learnt from the trial and error approach all parenting involves. Parenting is a huge learning curve and children are the most patient teachers. From dependency to independence, it is a journey of interweaving stories, past and present colliding, infinity becoming a possibility. Becoming a parent felt to me like slotting the crucial piece into a jigsaw puzzle – the world suddenly made sense.
He, being the elder child, was of course the prototype. I look back now and think of all the things I would do differently. TD probably benefits from some of the lessons we learnt from the trial and error approach all parenting involves. Parenting is a huge learning curve and children are the most patient teachers. From dependency to independence, it is a journey of interweaving stories, past and present colliding, infinity becoming a possibility. Becoming a parent felt to me like slotting the crucial piece into a jigsaw puzzle – the world suddenly made sense.
It is not unusual for moms to think their offspring are the
best in the world. But the thing is – my
two really are.
What a journey this has been and continues to be. Thank you, R and TD - as inadequate as those words are. I love you both infinity plus one.
What a journey this has been and continues to be. Thank you, R and TD - as inadequate as those words are. I love you both infinity plus one.
Happy birthday.
Beautifully written and brings tears to my eyes. Your smile in the picture at the end sums up your blissful motherly satisfaction of completeness.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind response
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