You WILL miss these moments

Last updated: 22/04/2015 12:16 by AislingLyons to AislingLyons's Blog
Filed under: MummyBloggers
“I follow you?” is the constant refrain from The Toddler these days. As much as I love the little lady, this particular phrase drives me to distraction. I find it hugely irritating that, wherever I go, there she is right behind me.
 
Now, I am mostly for my children following in my footsteps, except for a few times where I possibly made the wrong choice. That time in Mexico springs to mind – but that is another story and definitely not fit for publishing here.
 
Following in my footsteps is one thing, but actually following my actual footsteps is a whole lot of GRRRR. My husband, who thinks she can do no wrong anyway, was all “Aw, that’s lovely,” so I stopped trying to explain how irritating it was to him. I also didn’t even consider complaining about how the “I do it!” for car seat straps, tights and such, causes me to count slowly to ten whilst breathing deeply. Or her how her desire to walk beside the buggy doubles, no, TRIPLES the length of any and every journey.
 
However, even as I am giving out about the joys of toddler-hood, I know that only too soon she will stop following me everywhere and I will miss that. The reason I know this is because I already miss some of her irritants needs that I wished away at the time. Night feeds being one.
 
I was not a mother that loved being up during the night. I resented my husband, my children and everyone else who got to go to bed to actually sleep. I hated going to bed not knowing how many hours (nay minutes!) of sleep I would get before being awoken by her hungry squawk. Wondering if this pattern of broken sleep that began (as any pregnant lady will tell you) at least seven months before the actual birth would ever end. Now when I look back at that time - when it was just me and her having a feed, whispered chats, cuddles and face tickles while the world slept - I miss it.
 
Spoon-feeding as ridiculous as it sounds, is another one. At the time, I hated how my own meal always had to wait as I fed my children first. I longed for the days when we could all sit together and eat our own meals while they were still hot. Well those days have been upon us for a while now and it is great, but in all honesty a teeny part of me misses not having to help.
 
We are about to start the process of toilet-training, and I really don’t think that nappy changing is something I will miss. But who knows? When she cracks it, it will be the first time in eight years that our household will be ‘nappy-free’. Actually, having worked in childcare since I was 17, it will be the first time in (*cough*) 25 years that nappies have not been a part of my day-to-day!
 
So as unlikely as it is that I will miss nappy-changing and all that jazz, I have after eight years of being a Mum finally learned to stop wishing the time by. From this day forth I promise to stop inwardly-groaning when she says “I follow you?” because yes, of course you can follow me, for as long or as short a period of time as you need. (I just need to watch that creak in the floorboards as I tip-toe to the loo!)
 
Aisling Lyons, is a mum-of-three from Co. Wicklow, with over 20 years experience in the childcare sector. She runs the lovely blog, Babysteps, where she aims to help parents struggling with the little and large problems that parenting young children can bring.
Déanta in Éirinn - Sheology
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