It’s hard to grasp what a precious and limited resource that time with our kids is.
On a hard day with a toddler, it feels like this will never end. But the reality is that this precious time is constantly passing us by, and by your child’s 18th birthday, you will have spent the vast majority of all the time you’ll ever get with them.
I’ve seen it quoted (though without source) that by the time your kids are 12 years old, you’ve already spent 75% of the precious time you’ll get with them. By the time they’re 18 years old, you’ve spent 90%. Even if the math isn’t exact on these, there is definitely a logical truth to it.
As kids hit their teen years, they need you less and less. As they make the slow and painful transition toward autonomous adulthood, they’ll want less and less time with you while they start to put together their own lives and plans. Once they start driving, this becomes even more true.
By the time they’re 18 years old, they’re likely off to college (or whatever else) and you are now a background player in their life story. Bittersweet, maybe, but this isn’t a bad thing. It should be celebrated because it’s what you’ve been working the last 18 years to ensure.
However, it is a reality that we should hold close.
Some stages bring hard days. Remember that they will pass. And try not to wish them away, much as you’d like to. The time is brief and precious. Other stages bring beautiful days of progress and success and the joys of seeing your kids grow and shine.
So don’t take them for granted. Realize those moments can’t last forever. The Time Is Precious.
Countdown to 18!
To try and drive home what is, ultimately, an intangible concept for most of us, we’ve created a timer to give you your own personal countdown. So, input your child’s age and you’ll be given a Countdown to 18.
Take it as your own personal call to arms to appreciate the precious time as best you can, good or bad, easy or brutal. Your time with your kids is just a portion of your life, not the whole. Keep that in mind, and spend that precious time accordingly.
“Precious Time” Countdown Clock
Enter Your Child’s Birth Date
A big thank you to Nathan for writing this guest post and coming up with this Countdown to 18 clock! To quickly access your clock (and save your time), save it as a bookmark in your browser. Feel free to share this post as well with other parents as a sweet reminder of how precious time is.