A mother holds her daughter’s hand while taking her to school. She can’t stop thinking about all the things she has to do: shop for groceries, clean the house, cook. She’s fed up with all these tasks. She can’t wait for the day when her daughter is old enough to go to school all by herself. Maybe by the time that happens, she will be able to spend a few days at the spa or on the beach with her husband. The mother also has a younger son, who can’t stop crying lately. Nights are endless and she just wants to rest, even if it’s just for a few hours.
But a letter written by this very mother is eye-opening:
For the last time
«From the first time you hug your baby, you will never be the same person.
Maybe you long for the person you were before.
When you had freedom, time.
And nothing in particular to worry about.
You will know fatigue like never before.
And the days will run together as if they were all the same, filled with feedings and burps.
Diaper changing and crying.
Complaints and arguments.
Naps or lack of naps.
It may seem like an unending cycle.
But do not forget…
There is a last time for everything.
The day will come when you feed your child for the last time.
They will sleep on your lap after a long day.
And it will be the last time you hug your child while they are sleeping.
One day, you will carry them on your hip and then put them down.
And after that, you will never pick them up in the same way.
You will wash their hair one evening in the bathtub.
And from that day on, they will want to bathe by themselves.
They will hold your hand to cross the street.
And then they will never ask for it again.
They will slip into your room in the middle of the night for a cuddle. And suddenly it will be the last night they wake you up.
One afternoon, you will sing ‘The wheels on the bus’ to them and do all the movements. And then you will never sing that song again.
They’ll give you a kiss goodbye at school, and the next day you will be asked not to go anymore.
You will read one last story to them while they are in bed and clean one last dirty face.
They will run and throw themselves into your arms for the last time.
The fact is, you never know when that last time will come.
Until there are no other times.
And even then, it will take you a while to realize.
So while you are living in all of these moments, remember there’s only a small number of them and when they are finally gone, you will give anything to relive any one of them.»
Read this beautiful letter when you are desperate or tired. Being a mother is difficult, but it’s also a unique experience full of moments to cherish.
