Celebrating milestones

That happy glow
London, ON, July 2010

About this photo: It's Thematic Photographic's kids week. Deep down, you know you want to share your own. We'd be tickled if you did. Just click here.

At a certain age, birthdays cease to be occasions of pure joy filled with limitless hope for the future. Someday, the parties will stop - or become less frequent - and the completion of another spin around our solar system's star will be less about being the center of your family's attention and more about wondering how many years you have left.

Yes, I'm pessimistic that way. But on this day, as our youngest son turned 10, none of that mattered. He hasn't reached that transition point yet, and if we have anything to do with it, it'll be many years before he does.

At this particular moment, he sat at the kitchen table, his mother fawning all over him, his brother and sister hovering nearby, waiting for the cake to be cut and shared. The dog wandered around under the table, hoping for a castoff or two. Grandparents were called. Kisses and hugs were shared. Our wish to slow down time for just a little bit once again went unheeded.

It's hard being a parent. There aren't enough moments like this to cushion the worry that every parent holds about the future. So when they do indeed occur, we do everything we can to hold onto them. And to remind our kids that nothing matters more than the family that surrounds you and is there for you whether you're celebrating a happy or a not-so-happy milestone.

I hope he knows he'll always be surrounded, no matter what the day may bring.

Your turn: What is he wishing for? What are you wishing for?