Every year, I hear what the kids call “Mom’s annual cry.” I got their school pictures back that day and put them into an 8 x 10 frame that hung in the hallway. Past photos are never deleted. So I spread them out on the dining room table when new kids come in: a parade of kids’ past selves. I revisited an iconic look from the past: The year my son cut his bangs before photo day. That year, my daughter wore a giant pink bow, as big as their head, and fake pearls from her great-grandmother. I think what are they interested in at that age. Third grade, the year my son’s hair stood on end and he was reading How to train your dragon The series continues uninterrupted. When I look at my daughter’s preschool photos Tangled Skirt and bob, smiling mischievously, I remember they used to pronounce “remember” as “bemember.”
Every year, when I look at pictures of my aging children, I cry and hug them while they smile (kindly). Most of them are tears of happiness. Reddit user u/Positive_Age_181 recently mentioned on r/Parenting that as children grow, we experience a slight sadness.
“Is your child getting sadder as he gets older?” they asked. u/Positive_Age_181 certainly knows that watching her daughter grow up is a privilege, but in many ways the experience is bittersweet, even painful.
I just feel bad for watching her grow up. She will be two years old soon. I think turning one is heartbreaking, but turning two is another matter. Toddlers are hard, but gosh, she is adorable. …I feel like with time passing so quickly, I will soon forget all of this and/or this will become a distant memory. This really makes me sad.
Luckily, other Reddit users are full of wisdom, compassion, and good advice.
“Because their version suddenly no longer exists,” replied u/offectivecaramel29. “They change so fast that you are constantly being introduced to a new version, a beautiful and magical (and sometimes very exhausting) version of your precious baby, and the change happens so fast that you It feels like you might question your own sanity at times. It’s absolutely overwhelming and incredibly bittersweet how privileged we are to be able to spend any time with these souls.
“It’s like reading a really good book,” u/colbinator mused. “You want each chapter to last forever, but you also want to see the story develop, the characters deepen, the adventure continue.”
“I’m the exact opposite,” u/thegimboid said. “I will always have that little version of me [3-year-old] My daughter in photos, videos and memories. But there’s always something new – I’m so excited to see who she becomes, what she learns next, where she goes…every year is new and interesting, And there are always new adventures waiting for me to watch her grow.
“The best version of my child is the current version” u/Ebice42 said wisely. “Because that’s what I’m going to play today.”
Of course, it’s difficult for those of us who love these babies to watch elements of their infancy disappear beneath the surface of their growing faces, attitudes, and mannerisms. But take it from someone who has tweens and teens: While there is a time and place for the “Mom Cry of the Year,” there’s so much dialogue, quirks, and adventures that you don’t even know what to expect. There is just as much joy ahead of us as there is behind us.
