Dear Time, If Only You Could Stop For A While!

The other day, I was at the mall with the kid, shopping for his birthday. We were just strolling by when the kid suddenly said, "In just a few hours I will be officially a teen!"

A cold feeling came over me. 

I wanted time to stop there. Freeze forever. I wanted all the clocks in the world to stop working. 

In a few hours, my kid would no longer be a child. He would become a teen. I did not want his childhood to end.

Through the foggy cold that had enveloped me, I saw all the thresholds that we had crossed together. 

First day of school when I left him crying inside the class. 

First time when he finally went to play on his own, not wanting me to wait and watch out for him.

First time when he went to school on his own while I waved bye to him from my balcony.

I thought about every transition that had happened in all these years. And I realised something.

Every transition has been difficult. But for every transition, I have tons of memories associated with each phase of parenting. And I am grateful for every moment I got to spend with the kid.

There are many thresholds to cross ahead. I know that every crossing will make me look back in nostalgia and yearning for time to stop. But I also know that the only way to deal with the swift passage of time is to move with it. 

So I look back at all the milestones of parenting with nostalgia and gratitude, and I look ahead for all the milestones to come, with hopes, prayers and good vibes.