The Real Gift

The secret that I never realized until I became a mom? That birthdays are really for the parents.

Everyone sings happy birthday to the child, celebrates the child, lavishes gifts on the child. 

But really, it is a day of celebration for the parents who nurtured those babies. The parents whose lives suddenly took on a whole new meaning the moment they first gazed upon the face of their future. 

Whether parents by birth or choice, love is what really makes birthdays theirs. It is a day to celebrate their love, their legacy, their sacrifices all wrapped up in one beautiful, uniquely wonderful bundle. 

Every single time one of my children has a birthday, I am reminded all over again of how wonderful and special they are. I am reminded of how lucky I am to be given such a incredible gift in my life. And I'm reminded of the moment that I first saw their beautiful little faces.

Its true, not all parents find love at first sight. When I had Sterling, I was so wrapped up in a panic attack from the anesthesia that all I really felt was relief that she was out OK. But it wasn't long before I was bowled over at the intensity of my love for this tiny little creature. If we let ourselves, we will invariably find a love more intense, more true, more honest than any other.

That is the true gift of birthdays, a reminder of that moment when you truly fell in love with your child. Whenever it happened, however it happened, that is the greatest gift of all.

That is why birthdays are really for parents, it's a celebration of the day that their lives took on a whole new meaning. A day to be grateful for the gift we have been trusted with.

That is why birthdays really are for the parents.

Happy birthday 3rd Sterling Rose, I am incredibly blessed to have the gift of you in my life.

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