Following the birth of a new baby is a long stretch of time where nothing else matters. Feedings, sleep, and family take center stage as everyone adjusts to this new little being.
It’s bliss.
Ok, maybe it’s not bliss every single second of the day. There are crying, sleep deprivation, and new parent anxiety to factor into the equation.
But still…it all adds up to bliss.
During that time, the future ceases to exist. New parents live in the moment. They watch their babies sleep, they feed their babies on demand, and they hold their babies constantly.
New parents soak up every moment that parenting has to offer.
They aren’t concerned with things like classes, learning, and organized sports. They aren’t wondering about preschool, elementary school, and high school. Sure, they’ve likely planned for the future to some degree. But it doesn’t eat away at their days.
Then the kids start to grow. Suddenly, there are plans to be made near constantly. There are playgroups to organize, applications to complete, and potty training to conquer.
There are endless conversations about milestones, strengths, weaknesses, and personality traits.
There are the very best classes, the very best teachers, and the very best teams.
At some point, parents start shifting away from the present and start focusing on the future. They start losing precious moments in time to the race to attain the very best.
Our little ones don’t live their lives according to what might be in a few days, a few months, or a few years.
Our little ones follow their dreams of the moment. They build castles, bake cookies, and sell lemonade. The chase butterflies, dig for worms, and watch the ants hard at work. They listen to stories, draw pictures, and create their own wonder.
Our little ones live for today. They stay in the present, living in the here and now.
They enjoy each day to the fullest.
We can learn a lot from these little ones. Yes, there will always be forms, appointments, and to-do lists. Yes, there will always be meals to plan, laundry to fold, and dishes to wash.
But these precious moments of wonder with our little ones? These moments won’t last forever. These moments are time limited.
It’s time to stop attempting to parent in the future, and focus on parenting in the present instead.
It’s time to stop worrying about getting the very best for tomorrow, and revel in the very best part of each day right now instead.
It’s time to parent in the here and now.
Don’t waste one more second of today worrying about tomorrow…