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One: Conversation – One: Facetime Call
One: Trip – One: Tank of gas
One: Dropoff – One: Last goodbye
One: Hug – One: Smile
One: See ya soon – One: Moment in time
One: Photo – One: Memory
One: Hello – One: Wave goodbye
One: I love you, mom – One: I hear you, mom
One: Sleepless night – One: Hold me, mom
One: Sick kid – One: Doctors visit
One: Driving permit test – One: Driver’s license
One: First Day of School – One: After school snack
One: Encouraging word – One: I love you, mom
One: Quality time – One: I’m too busy now
One, that is how many times it takes to let your child know you love them and you see them. We take for granted these moments that we expect to last a lifetime. Some families receive only one moment, but for many others, they receive a lifetime of one more. When our children are young, we get to experience so many first times with them (one). It might be their first bottle, first diaper change, first steps, first solid food item, or that first of many sleepless nights as new parents. As they grow, we witness their first words, first heartbreaks, first day of school, and first time driving a car, etc.
Whether we are a biological parent or a bonus-parent of a child. We reminisce about the many firsts that we have with our children as we become their parents for the first time. It is in those first moments that we realize we have a special job to do, and it will last a lifetime. Raising children is rewarding in so many ways. We have a choice to make: we can either mold them with love and honesty or anger and hatred. We only get one opportunity to support them in developing into beautiful adults.
Our conversations and words can alter our children’s way of thinking. With one simple word, we can either encourage or destroy them. Sometimes we express one thought before we realize what we have said and done. We have to remember that the power of ONE WORD has a magnitude of POWER behind it.
We experience so many first “one” times with our children. We need to cherish every moment, even the hard ones, before we have no more firsts. Our children grow up and move out; however, that is another first we are not prepared for, even though that is what we have prepared them for their whole lives. The moral of the story is to cherish every first (and in between) moment that you have with your children.
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One. WOW! So many great words of advice. Thank you for reminding us all it only takes one.
Sterba, thank you for responding to my post. I am thankful for every “one”. 🙂
I really love your formatting choice at the beginning. It really is a cool way of listing and repeating in a way that is purposeful without being redundant, as some repetition can be. Not yours. I love how you always have a moral guiding your writing and you restate it at the end of each piece. This one has such a solid, salient reminder.
My one suggestion:
I think your last lines “We experience so many first “one” times with our children. We need to cherish every moment, even the hard ones, before we have no more firsts” are SO strong, that you should make that your “mic drop.” I would cut the other two lines (they are good, but I feel you cover it before!) and let those two lines really speak into your reader.