What I’ve Learnt In Seven Years As A First Time Parent…
Hi all!
Our daughter has officially turned 7! I truly cannot believe it! In keeping with tradition, I am going to share everything I have learnt in seven years as a first time parent. If you would like to see my past Parenting Reflections, click on the heading. I have a lot to contribute, so without further ado, let’s get into it!
It really hit me once my daughter turned 7 that she’s no longer a little kid. She is growing up and growing up fast. As I am only doing this parenting thing once, I bid goodbye to the six-year-old version of her with sadness. I want to preserve her at this age and see who she is going to become at the same time. I even said to my husband this week “can you believe we’ve been doing this for seven years?” It really does fly by.
Nostalgia aside, I’m really proud of Abigail. She is so focused at school. She loves learning, wants to do her homework as soon as she gets it and picks things up quickly. I never have to worry about her academically. Socially, it’s a little bit different. This year, she was diagnosed with ASD. To maintain privacy, I won’t go into details, but as you can imagine, transitions aren’t easy for her. It’s something her teachers are aware of and concessions are being made. Thanks to NDIS funding, she attends weekly play therapy sessions. Her confidence has grown considerably according to her therapist.
I love a lot of the hobbies she has developed. For example, she enjoys colouring. I find it relaxes her greatly, especially if we do it together side-by-side. She also adores playing Mario Party on the Nintendo Switch. We rarely go a day without a family game. The struggle is getting her to accept when she loses. She is very competitive and that can sometimes lead to a lot of tears. As you’ll see in next week’s post, we spent her 7th birthday on the Gold Coast with family. She had a blast exploring the theme parks, meeting character actors, going on rides and getting absolutely spoiled.
She is such a sweet, kind and caring girl. Abigail has a heart of gold, and is extremely caring. I don’t know how much longer I’ll write these types of posts. I am conscious of embarrassing her as she becomes more aware of what I document online. At this stage, these reflections are selfish ways for me to hold onto her youth. I love comparing the years because believe it or not, she teaches me a lot more than I teach her.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope these words resonate with other caregivers, particularly those that only have one child.
Peace & Love xoxo
