"The days are long but the years are short".
Possibly one of the most overused phrases in the English language, and one that new mothers hear a LOT.
I've smiled while inwardly eye-rolling at those words countless times over the years. They were usually spoken to me by misty-eyed old ladies in supermarkets as I tried (and failed) to keep control of my 3 young children while simultaneously doing a weekly food shop.
New mothers know that these words are undoubtedly true of course, but when you're in the midst of the chaos that life as a parent to young children brings - it's hard to truly understand just how soon those years do pass by, and how quickly you'll find yourself on the other side of them.
Today...my eldest son turns 6.
And I know...6 is still so little. There are still so many more years of childhood adventures laying before him, so many more years of him needing his Mummy, so many more years to enjoy before he's grown up.
And I know that every one of his birthdays has felt as though it came around too quickly, and made me emotional.
But something about him turning 6 feels different.
6 feels like he's not a baby anymore. 6 feels like the start of the "Big kid" years.
And as exciting as it is to start to see the personality of this little person take shape, to begin to catch glimpses of the man he'll grow up to be...I can't help but wonder how on Earth we're here already. How those 6 years have truly gone by in what feels like the blink of an eye.
I remember every single detail about the day he was born as if it was yesterday.
I thought I was savouring those baby days - the hours spent cuddling my newborn, in the days when it was just us...no siblings to take my attention away, just the two of us at home all day long.
I took so many photographs, captured so much video footage to look back on...but still, it feels as though I blinked and suddenly he's 6.
And I know that as much as I try to savour and enjoy these next years too, I'll blink and suddenly he'll be 16.
Motherhood is bittersweet in so many ways, and I wouldn't change a thing of course - but oh how I'd love to go back in time for just one day, and cuddle that newborn for just a little bit longer.
I wish I'd spent less time stressing about the dishes getting done and more time breathing in that delicious newborn scent.
But it's easy with hindsight of course, and no amount of telling other new mothers how quickly the years pass by will make them any more able to appreciate just how fast it goes.
So Happy 6th Birthday my lovely, kind, bright, creative and wonderful boy - I hope this year brings us lots more adventures and time together, and I promise to try to stop and savour it all a little more.
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