From the moment a baby is born, the countdown begins. You are given the gift of 936 weekends with your child before they turn 18.
936.
At first glance, it sounds like a lot. That’s almost 1,000 weekends. Multiply it by two and you have 1,872 weekend days.
But ask any parent whose child has just moved out, if 936 weekends was enough.
Did they have their fill of lazy Friday nights, curled up in blankets watching movies in their pj’s?
Did they achieve the optimal number of Sunday morning talks over breakfast?
Did they have just the right number of inside jokes exchanged on a Saturday afternoon?
Did they talk enough, laugh enough, cry enough, share enough, eat enough, hug enough, dream enough, or just exist under the same roof enough in those 936 weekends?
Probably not. 936 weekends isn’t enough…but it’s the timeline that you are given. So the question is, what are you going to do with the time you’ve been given?
Will you spend time checking things off your endless to-do list rather than sitting down and talking about what’s going on at school? Will you shuttle them from one activity to another rather than letting them dream and create something of their own? Will you like and share posts online rather than liking and sharing your life with this incredible person who is only here for the blink of an eye?
Will you argue about what they wear, what they eat, and what they want to be when they grow up for so many weekends that you miss all of the good stuff?
I hope not. I hope you squeeze as many memories as you can into every one of those days.
I hope you share secrets and hopes, provide wisdom, listen deeply, give advice when asked and stay silent when they need to do it themselves.
I hope you dance, sing, take road trips, sit on the front porch, catch fireflies, watch powerful movies, listen to lots of music, visit museums, enjoy meals with friends, stay up too late, hike in the forest, get sand in your shoes, spend quality time with family, make art, take photos, ride roller coasters, eat ice cream, pet dogs, wear flip flops, travel to new places, and enjoy the time together while you have it.
936 weekends will pass in the blink of an eye. Treasure every minute.
Photo by Lonely Planet on Unsplash