Why Couldn’t I Stop Time?

An old mother has a lot to remember. The last few weeks I have been remembering the first dates of all of my children. I remember that they all were so excited to finally be able to date at the ripe old age of 16! All of them were all smiles as they went on their dates to the movies or to dinner. My social butterfly, Gabriella, had a date lined up for every Friday night for weeks a couple of months before she even turned 16! I had a hard time watching them all grow up and go on dates, but the hardest child to watch leave on his first date was my baby boy Antonio. When Antonio was 16, he asked one of his great friends to go to a school dance with him. I was full of mixed emotions as I helped him get ready for the dance. I didn’t want my baby boy to grow up, I didn’t want him to be a teenager, I didn’t want him to get any older, because I knew that I had limited time with him. Every birthday was a sad day for me and I wanted to do nothing but freeze time and hold him for a lot longer. I sadly, could not stop time, and I watched my young teenage boy go on his first date. I was proud of him for having confidence to go to a school dance when he could not even dance, walk, or stand. I was proud of his confidence to ask a girl out. I was and will always be so proud of my Antonio.