You Grew Up In The Blink Of An Eye

For me, my child, you grew up in the blink of an eye. Today I look at you with the same love in my eyes as the very first time I saw you. But I am amazed at how time has passed so quickly. It makes me smile to see you now, in the present, but also to remember your past.

I ask myself how everything happened so fast that I didn’t even notice. The memories that come to my mind are the most beautiful of my life.

Every anecdote clouds my vision a little. Whether they were happy memories or difficult ones, each moment brings a tear to my eye.

I look at you again. It seems as though the future that I fought so hard for is now here. But there is so much more to come. Without a doubt, you have grown up. You have changed in every possible way.

We grow and we learn. Satisfaction and pride light up my heart like a thousand shooting stars.

Everything you left behind growing up

“Enjoy it. Time flies, and children grow up so fast.” This is what everyone told me, almost on a daily basis, with painful insistence.

Even so, I could not believe it. I refused to believe it; I didn’t take it seriously. But without a doubt, their words were true: you grew up in the blink of an eye.

But I have the good fortune and satisfaction of having enjoyed your childhood to the fullest. As time passed, I held on to your sweetness and innocence. I fed on the magic in your eyes, on your imagination.

And how we enjoyed our time together! I picked you up whenever I could, holding you in my arms all day, every day. You were always by my side.

I watched, enchanted, as I fed you. I covered you in hugs and kisses. You slept, peaceful as an angel, as I looked on.

I felt that the minutes lasted forever, as if time were frozen for you and I. Each of our days seemed to go on forever.

I felt that time wouldn’t fly, not with you by my side, in those idyllic days. Instead, it seemed to stand still, better to observe the perfection of pure and unconditional love.

I convinced myself that time could not fly by. I believed that those wonderful moments could be eternal, immortal, inexhaustible. What I did not consider was that, in reality, there was no better reflection of the passage of time than you, my child.

When I awoke, my love had grown up!

Yes, I was wrong. One day I woke up after another a night of fitful sleep, and everything around me had changed. You no longer asked for hugs, but for freedom.

Your bottle had been outgrown and exchanged for the same plates and cups that we used. You were running around, full of energy. You had stopped babbling, and could already say your first words.

I opened my eyes again. I saw you going to school for the first time. Already out of diapers. You fit right in with the new friends around you. You could choose your own clothes and dress yourself without my help. My child was growing up.

And the fact is that in the blink of an eye, as you grew taller, your heart grew too. The days kept rushing by, faster and faster, and soon it was even clearer what you had become. I am still watching you, and I see that you are handsome, strong, brave and noble.

You will always be the child I nurtured in my arms, with all my love. Now you are secure in yourself, independent. Above all, you are happy. But you are fully grown, now; an adult.

If I had to tell you one thing right now, my child, I would just tell you to enjoy the here and now. Be present in each instant, as if it were your last. Because time really does fly, believe me.

I look at you, with your wife, ready to welcome a new baby of your own. I wish with all my heart for you to live each second of this unique experience as intensely as possible.

Take your child in your arms. They are growing up, too. They will be too big before you know it. Sleep cuddled up together, because some day soon, they will want to sleep alone.

Kiss them whenever you can. And finally, there is no greater act of love than to let go once the years have gone by. It is ironic, but true.

Sooner or later, when your child is growing up and has their own life, you will have to let them fly away. Trust your heart, and these wise words that come from the bottom of my heart.