Time spent with kids is like a limited edition, priceless watch – you can't buy it back.
In 1929, Albert Einstein's secretary struggled to explain the theory of relativity to journalists. Various media outlets competed to interview the Genius and also tried to get statements from those around him, including his secretary. As a shortcut, Professor Einstein instructed her to answer questions with the following analogy: "When you sit with a nice girl for two hours, you think it's only a minute. But when you sit on a hot stove for a minute, you think it's two hours. That's relativity."
Let's agree, that enjoyable moments are realized to pass faster. When someone enjoys a moment or feels comfortable, time tends to pass quickly. However, when someone experiences discomfort or pain, time feels like it's crawling. Our emotional and physical experiences affect our perception of time relativity. If so, Einstein's clear explanation should be accepted by those of us who may be reluctant to delve deeper into the theory and formulas of relativity.
In our awareness of time, questions begin to arise: Have we created enough comfort, felt at ease, or enjoyed time and togetherness in life? It is terrifying that time cannot be turned back, nothing can return and change reality. Not even a second.
Racing against time for parents is an emotionally mixed experience. There's gratitude, worry, joy, sadness, pride, all mixed. Every parent, with every child, with different experiences. How could it not be? What once felt comfortable in our embrace now seems out of reach, little fingers and hands becoming hands with a firmer grip, small steps turning into steady strides, interrupted words becoming more meaningful from those small mouths. Everything changes over time.
Not every moment is easy to pass. The hope that everything can pass beautifully is not fully achieved. There are conflicts, there are collisions. But there is always hope that strengthens. Believing that everything can be overcome, difficult and painful times that only could be accelerated or joyful times that are hoped to last forever. In our time, full of hope and faith.
Often we do not realize the passing of time. Sometimes we are surprised by how quickly time flies. Yet we go through every day together. Why does this awareness exist when triggered by a photo album on our phone, social media reminders, or when meeting relatives who come with the phrase "Wow, they've grown so much, it feels like just yesterday they were so small."
These little humans grow up fast. Their time is long and ours is not eternal.
Let's take a breath here. In this pause, let's reflect, let's be aware that we are still given time to be together and it may be that our time is getting shorter, or vice versa, nothing is certain.
Amidst this uncertainty, irreplaceable, every second only moves forward and is different. Perhaps this is the time for us to accompany them consciously so that we cherish every moment and welcome every change.
We know this will be difficult because our world is becoming more complex. The world of parents, the world of adults demands our responsibility for many things including work, socializing, and also basic things; our existence. This adult world is also full of freedom, we can choose, sift through, prioritize something, or postpone it. Our world is also full of things we label as problems, challenges, interests, hobbies, distractions, and breaks. Seriously, it's complex.
Let's look at our children's world. Their world is still so vast, there is still plenty of room for beautiful memories. There is still room for exploration, for creativity. Their world needs our guidance, their world needs our presence, their world needs us parents full of love.
Their world needs our involvement. Every parent knows that accompanying a child is not easy, sometimes it will be colored with raised voices, there will also be tears and tantrums, there will also be repetitive questions or questions that are difficult to answer, or even questions that we deem better left unanswered. It's not always smooth, but that doesn't mean it will always be difficult. If today we see them growing happily, and smiling, and we can still share kisses and warm hugs, what more could we ask for?
Perhaps time with them passes quickly like watching a favorite series on Netflix, or maybe it feels long like waiting for a call in the middle of a queue. Because time is relative,
let's enjoy every moment with our children because nothing will repeat itself.
Now is the time.
Romana from Ara Hope