I can’t believe it’s been a year since we celebrated Rosie being a Wild One. Having children seems to make the passage of time more tangible, more visible somehow. Mini milestones are always an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by and create hopes and dreams for the following year.
As you know, we love a birthday in the Bumbumbee family and Rosie’s second birthday is certainly a cause for celebration. By our standards, the two-year old’s running around our feet now have had an unusual time of it with the restrictions we’ve all had to navigate. They haven’t had the huge gatherings and parties for Christmas and Birthdays, the smothering of kisses and cuddles from various family members and friends, nor the messy, noisy play with other toddlers.
The blessing is, of course, these two-year-olds are not aware of the strange times they were born into, and they will be none the wiser until they read about it all in years to come. It’s us as parents that feel sad for our children that they ‘missed out’. However, as I’ve said before, there have been other blessings, the benefits of which may in time turn out to be the biggest blessing of all. Remember that precious time, that we as working parents always felt we missed out on? Remember all those times you felt sad your baby was growing too quickly and you wished you could keep them small forever? That time was given to us. Granted – perhaps more than we wished for sometimes – but we were able to spend time with our babies and youngsters as they found their feet. I feel sure this is a positive as we have a new generation of well-attached, grounded little people who won’t constantly need the next big thing to entertain them.
It’s been a wonderful year of play in the garden, dress-ups, art-filled days, walks along the coast and time together. Yes, there were the practical challenges along the way as we all experienced, but it’s about choosing to focus on the simple joys and not missing those more meaningful moments as our babies grow.
So yes, Rosie’s celebration this year was a big, beautiful, sparkly, colourful ‘rainbow’ day with family, cake, fairy wings and a crown fit for a flowery, fairy princess. There was time for and a small dose of reflection – at Edinburgh Camera Obscura with her brother and her cousins.
We hope wherever you are, you have been able to enjoy some precious family moments too.