Thoughts on Parenting and the Future

So a few years ago, I was browsing YouTube for the song "Syracuse" by Pinback. It's one of my favorite songs from the '00s.

If your iTunes Library is lacking Pinback, may I suggest you go download the album "Summer in Abaddon" right now. You won't be disappointed. Especially if you need more chill in your day. So go download..

{Now. No seriously. Right now.}

During my YouTube search of the song, the only version I could find was a video made by a woman in St. Pierre and Miquelon Canada, set to a series of video clips of her 6 year old daughter, Emma. The clips are a wide-array of scenes from snow days, birthday parties, taekwondo class, and what appears to be many, many art and children's theatre performances. A well-rounded kiddo!

So I'm watching this video and what I see at the end.. I break down into tears. A MAJOR GUY-CRY! I haven't been moved so much in a while and it took me a moment to grasp why my emotions ran so high.

Here's the video:

In the final frames where Emma is being chased down by her Mama in the snow, it donned on me that no matter how old Emma gets, through schooling, heartaches, good times and bad; the way we see Emma in the video as an adorable little 6 year old girl running to the wild open, will always be the way her mom will see her.. those fun-loving, innocent, child play times slipping away with every step.

I have a 13 year old and an 8 year old and it truly stabs me in the gut to think that I don't have much longer to "raise" my boys. Complete and utter HEARTBREAK!

It's been said that I vacation a lot with my family, and we do, but now the answer as to why should be much clearer: love what you have NOW and spend as much time as possible interacting with your kids because it won't be long until they are grown and doing the same with their own.

Pave the way.

Love and Light,

-M