Happy Birthday to You!

As adults, we tend to rely on New Year’s Day as our checkpoint. We stop to evaluate whether or not we met the goals set for the year and maybe try to set a few new ones. We measure our own progress from New Year to New Year.

But for little ones, it’s all about the birthday!

When they are first born, we talk about them in days. We almost can’t believe it when they hit the one-week mark. Then we move up to weeks.

For first babies, this seems to go on forever. For subsequent babies we tend to lose track quickly. Eventually we think in months, and then finally years. That first year requires a lot of counting.

It seems like there is a lot of anticipation leading up to birthdays.

At first it’s the parents counting down the days to the big event. But once they hit two, kids tend to start looking forward to birthdays too. They want to choose a theme, invite friends, and pick out a cake. Or maybe they don’t want a party at all. Either way, they start to think about the milestone from their own perspectives.

For me, birthdays always seem to come a little too quickly. Not my own; most days I’m not even sure how old I am and have to seek verification from my husband. But the kids just seem to be cruising through life at an alarming rate. I still can’t believe that my daughter turned four in December.

There are many developmental milestones for kids to meet along the way, but I truly feel that birthdays are the ultimate milestone. It’s amazing to look back and see what a child can accomplish physically, intellectually, emotionally, and socially in just one year.

I’ve been keeping a journal for my daughter, and on my to-do list is to start one for my son. Their baby books chronicling the first year are so detailed, yet the rest of their lives are told in pictures. The busier their lives get, the more difficult it is to keep track of the fine details. But I think a few journal entries a month to remember the highlights are something that we can all look back on for years to come.

My daughter has hit the stage where she wants to know everything about her time as a baby. She wants to know exact ages (down to the day) and specifics about funny things she did. I’m happy to report that I still remember many of her funniest moments, but I want to make sure I get them down on paper before they escape me as new funny memories form.

One year is a long time in the life of child (no matter how quickly it passes for us). In the first year of life they change from tiny, completely dependent little beings to walking, talking toddlers with very well defined opinions on various topics. And the rapid growth continues from there.

Birthdays are bittersweet for me. I enjoy rounding the corner and celebrating their accomplishments. I’m proud of everything that they do and the little sweeties they’ve become. But I struggle with my own feelings as these little years slip away. I sometimes wish I could freeze time, just for a little while, to make sure that I am enjoying every second of it. I caught my husband referring to our son as 2 ½ the other day. He doesn’t hit that marker for another month. I refuse to speed up time in anyway, even to a stranger in the supermarket.

Yes, birthdays are an amazing milestone. They are a time to reflect upon the great changes in our children. They are a time to celebrate another year gone by and look forward to what’s to come. They are highly anticipated, fun, exciting, and always something to cherish.

As I fill my journals with family memories I try to remember a little bit of everything. After all, the whole journey counts. It’s all the moments along the way that lead up to a happy life together.

How do you celebrate milestones for your kids? How do you preserve your memories along the way?

***I would like to take a moment to wish Mommy Moment a very Happy Birthday! The amazing woman behind this blog works tirelessly to provide a great place for moms, and dads, to check out and relax for a while…something we all need. Thanks, Jody! Happy Bloggy Birthday to you!

Katie is a Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist/Parenting Consultant in Los Angeles, CA. She has a four year old daughter, two year old son, and a rock and roll husband who makes her life complete.
Katie has a parenting advice blog at http://practicalkatie.com/ and can also be found on Twitter.

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