I’m writing this with half an eye on the kids as they play
in the garden. My littlest is following
his big sisters every move, idolising her, her shadow. She has replaced me as the object of his
affection and anything she can do, he must follow suit. ‘Mawn Evay’ is uttered countless times during
the day, as he reaches for her hand and they set off on some mischievous
adventure or another. I love seeing the dynamic between the kids. Each of their
three personalities similar in ways and yet very different. Strengths shining
through even at such young ages. My
oldest son’s innate confidence, my daughter’s fierce determination and my
littlest boys absolute need for independence. I love watching them grow, seeing
their bonds deepening as they explore together, learning from each other. Making
memories that they’ll carry through life.
They are close, my three babies.
Friends at this age, although I do have to referee more frequently as
they grow. I can hear the shutter of the
camera as my husband watches them too, through his lens. Seeing something different than I do. Adding
to the thousands of photographs already waiting to be printed.
Sometimes as I watch them growing and changing before my
eyes, I try to imagine what the future will hold for them. I wonder what career paths they might follow
or where their travels will take them, or what kind of partners they might
choose to share their lives with. I hope
they will remain close and that even if they are separated by land and sea, the
bond that they share now will remain strong, as they count on each other,
friends as well as family. I hope they
will always hold a soft space for each other – the people that know them best
in life and that loved them first. It’s
hard to picture them grown, and gone from me, even though that separation is a
natural one and happens a little bit more each day. I hope that I’m preparing them well for the
future. I hope that I’m giving them the
coping skills they will need for the very many challenges that life, no doubt has
in store for them.
Sometimes I have to remind myself to stop more often. To
watch them a little more closely. To listen a little bit more attentively and
to play with a little more abandon, to drink it all in, knowing that I will
never have this time with them again.
Someday they will climb out of my bed for the last time or not need the
reassurance of my hand in theirs crossing the road. They will need me in
different ways, rather than the all-consuming survival needs of these formative
years.
My babies are like jigsaw pieces that combine to make up the
whole puzzle of me. I hope that
throughout the years, even as pieces are misplaced and get tattered around the
edges, they will always be easily reassembled.
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