'losing' your baby as they grow up

[Roryrory]

I think the parent child relationship is the only one where is it NORMAL to "lose" the person you love. If you are in a friendship or marry someone, over time you know more about them, get closer over time. With children, from the moment they are born you start separating from them, and they change. You lose the baby, the toddler, the five year old, the teen. They have their own lives, you become secondary to them, as does your once super-close relationship. Even those of us who are close to our mums, do you really think we see her as much as she would like? But this is normal. Sad and bittersweet but normal....

Every night when I kiss my boys goodnight, I image them as grown men with rough skin and stubble and deep voices. And while I want to hold onto their babyhood, their childhood and their youth as long as I can, at the same time I long for the privilege of seeing the wonderful men they will become.

[thepixie]

Have to spread the love but wanted to say beautiful, beautiful post Rory.
I do look at photos of DD and wonder where my baby went, when I see my little pigtailed princess growing up so fast. *sigh*

[feeb]

I think the parent child relationship is the only one where is it NORMAL to "lose" the person you love. If you are in a friendship or marry someone, over time you know more about them, get closer over time. With children, from the moment they are born you start separating from them, and they change. You lose the baby, the toddler, the five year old, the teen. They have their own lives, you become secondary to them, as does your once super-close relationship. Even those of us who are close to our mums, do you really think we see her as much as she would like? But this is normal. Sad and bittersweet but normal....

Thats beautiful!!!!!!!
Every night when I kiss my boys goodnight, I image them as grown men with rough skin and stubble and deep voices. And while I want to hold onto their babyhood, their childhood and their youth as long as I can, at the same time I long for the privilege of seeing the wonderful men they will become.