The saddest thing about something being a last time is that usually, we don’t know that it *is* the last time 🙁 .
Because of this, we often don’t record the event in our memory, take a photo or even write it down, because we don’t realise just how special it is.
With my kids now grown, how I wish I had known – and savoured – the following last times (or at least had invested in more family photos, or even newborn or pregnancy photography!):
The Last Time
- I felt each baby kick in my belly;
- I breastfed my babies;
- I changed a nappy (yes, really!);
- I held one of my sleeping babies;
- I saw my children crawling;
- I fed one of my children as they sat in their high chair;
- I pushed them in a pram or stroller;
- I bathed one of my children;
- I tied up my daughter’s hair before school;
- One of my kids used one of their cute sayings;
- I helped out at their school;
- I watched TV with one or both children snuggled up to my side;
- We went on a family holiday.
But I Must Confess: the thing I think I miss the most, is when I used to be able to pick up and cuddle my children.
Isn’t it funny how we remember so much about the “firsts” – first tooth, first step, first day at school – but the “lasts” slide by, unnoticed?
What “last thing” do you miss the most?
You are so right about sometimes not knowing it’s going to be the last time… I find it especially hard thinking about the ‘last times’ with loved ones before they passed…what I wished I’d said or done differently!
Fortunately I haven’t had too much experience with this (loved ones passing away) … but I imagine it would be difficult 🙁
This is beautiful and I feel exactly the same. My youngest is now 8yrs old but when I sat and breastfed him during the night, I knew he would be my last ( 4 kids is ENOUGH) so I cherished them more. With my middle two kids, it is all a bit of a blur , I miss cuddles with babies too.
Thanks Natalie, I’m glad you found it beautiful, I was a bit worried I was getting too melancholy to be honest! I knew Miss 18 would be our last child, and did savour it as much as possible, but it’s easy to forget when you are in thick of parenting day-to-day!
With my anxiety I’m constantly worried everything might be the last of something so my brain is always on overdrive {not as much now that I’ve learnt how to manage it, but its still there}. I’m so glad I’ve had kids in an era where phones have cameras and I can capture memories so easily.
That’s something I’m a little sad about Toni – it used to be so expensive to get photos developed when my kids were little, and we went through a stage when Miss 18 was a baby when we didn’t have a camera at all! So yes, this is one of the boons of the iPhone generation 🙂
The last times can be bittersweet, can’t they? And it is precisely because you don’t know that it’s going to be the last time at all. Although the known last times can also be powerful – I remember my last moments in each of our first two houses. There was sadness and the savouring of memories and the excitement of knowing we were going to create new memories in our new home x
Well who knew that our last Easter would be the last the Easter bunny made an appearance. Not me. The girls are now older though (14, 15 & 16). Our eldest is in Greece and it just seemed like the right time to hand over money sent from their grandmother and let them purchase the chocolate they really wanted.
Beautiful post Janet. It made me think of all the wonderful things I miss about having small children and the fact that they couldn’t get enough cuddles and kisses. I think the ‘last thing’ that I miss is actually having your children think you are super cool. Nowadays my kids think I’m old and silly!
Such a lovely, thought-provoking post. As for those photos, so beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
And this was what I needed to read to enjoy all that I am going through right now with my girls. I’m loving my baby cuddles and the cuteness my girls seem to manifest through what they say and do. Thanks for this lovely post. xx
Oh my goodness your daughter looks a dead ringer for you as a baby – CUTE! A lovely post and thanks for the reminder to soak up the firsts and lasts… x
She was my little mini me! Not anymore though.