Milestones parents dread

When David was a baby I couldn't wait for him to speak his first word. It was duck, by the way. I thought it would be forever before he crawled and walked, but those times passed quickly. Soon he was off to school on the big kids bus, and in a blink of an eye he was in junior high. Now as he is about to turn 17 I realize in one short year he'll be an adult. Scary as it is he can get a tattoo or anything pierced he wants without my permission. I pray he doesn't, but still he could. With his upcoming birthday I was reminded how much I looked forward to all those milestones when he was little. I just had to write them in his little baby book I just knew he'd always cherish. Now I wish I could turn back time and make those milestones come just a little slower.

When he was a little boy we'd joke about all the little girls he liked. He didn't really like them, but it bugged him when we teased him about them. Now he really does like a girl, in fact he says he loves her. LOVE!!!!! How can my sweet little prince be in love? Just yesterday I was tying his shoes and he said he was going to marry me!

He's planning his future now. Apparently he was mistaken when he was 5 and wanted to be a proskateing firefighter. Now he wants to be some sort of computer designer. When he was a baby most of the people I knew didn't even have a computer. I am proud of him for having it all figured out, but dang it it's too soon! Slow down!

I want this next year to last at least three more. I'm not ready to let go yet. Yes I know I still have lots of kids at home, but when David moves on it will leave a big empty hole in our home I'm not ready for. In the past year he has matured so much and was suddenly taller than me and his father. It was hard to turn a blind eye to the fact time was slipping away from us.

Mother's this is just a reminder to hold out for the milestones. Don't rush them because all too soon you'll be putting your baby behind the wheel of a car or shopping for a suit for homecoming. When they say kids grow in a blink of an eye they aren't joking. It seems like forever until the day comes you see them as adults and then you realize how fast it really was.