<—— Birthday” from Hands4Learning
My birthday is in October. This year I finally turned 39……. 
The younger we are, the older we want to be. The older we are, the younger we wish we could stay. After I graduated from college, people were still asking me what grade I was in! At that time I wanted to look my age, at least! Now that I’m approaching my…um…40s, I wonder why people are not so surprised by my age–I don’t want to look older than my 29, I mean 39 years for sure.
As parents, we look forward to and celebrate our children’s first tooth, first step, first word, first day of school, first…. All things to celebrate! Yet all things we look back on with nostalgic tears, admitting that the time flew by way too quickly. If you’re anything like me, your photo albums leave a lot to be desired…honestly the convenience of digital film has gotten in the way of completing the beautiful baby and family photo albums I started years ago. Maybe it’s just an excuse. But I continue to take pictures! I continue to collect baby teeth, hold onto certain articles of clothing or special toys, and once in a while wish I could go back to do some of it over again—I’d probably do it the same way, but perhaps the knowledge I now possess would help in certain situations. Hind sight is 20/20—a cliché but there’s some truth to it. If I grew up knowing what I know now, would I be a different person? Quite likely—or just the same person making different choices—or even the same choices for different reasons.
What I do know is that while I don’t necessarily want to celebrate growing OLD, I think it’s great to celebrate growing up. I won’t actually grow UP any higher, but I continue to learn about life, and continue to grow as a person. My children are constantly challenging me to model for them, admit my mistakes or lack of knowledge, share memories and experiences, and to share a love of life with them. I know I have so much to give them, and I know they have so much more to give me.
Peter Pan didn’t want to grow up, and in many ways I don’t blame him. With age comes responsibility, expectations, challenges. But I think the grass is always greener—another cliché. We so often want what we don’t have, what we can’t have, simply because it’s not ours. If we had that, we’d want something else.
So I tried to celebrate my birthday this year feeling thankful for another year of life. I’m grateful for my family and friends, my home, my work, and for the experiences I gain each day. I miss my babies but I love my big boys. I miss my independence but even more I miss my kids and my husband when we’re apart. I’m going to hang onto my memories as memories—special people, events, experiences that provided me with personal growth and helped me move on in life. Even the difficult times have helped in some way. I’m going to try to enjoy each moment without looking too far back, or too far ahead and miss out on what’s going on NOW.
Carpe Diem—I’m going to seize the day every day. Happy Birthday to Me.
(If you’re looking for a special way to celebrate your child’s special day, take a look at http://www.mybabyfingers.com/parties and contact us!)
