Top 3 Moments I'm Most Excited About Sharing with My Kid

Another few weeks gone by, and my concerns (and waist-line) continue to expand.  But I’m trying to have a more positive outlook and not get bogged down by the terror of potentially ruining a life-form.  I try to focus on the things I’m most excited about sharing with my child and moments I look forward to experiencing.  Here is my brief list of Top 3 Moments I’m Most Excited About Sharing with My Kid.

1.) Christmas

When I think back to my childhood, Christmas was always so magical.  It wasn’t just about the anticipation of seeing the things I had carefully chosen for my wish list in real life.  It was all the things that my parents did to make it feel like magic really existed; taking bites out of the cookies we left for Santa or suddenly exclaiming how they had just seen an elf when we were behaving too rambunctiously.  Maybe even more than that, it was all about the traditions.  No one was allowed to see the presents until everyone was together.  And then, there would be my dad, holding up the giant camcorder to get our shocked and gleeful faces on tape.  Christmas was about family and making memories that I still smile about so many years later.  I hope to recreate those same moments of magic with my son or daughter.

2.) Disney World

I can still remember the giddiness my sister and I shared the night before we were to embark on a family trip to Disney World.  We would keep each other up giggling and talking about the rides we wanted to go on.  My mom would come in to tell us to get some sleep, but after the fifth time I think she just gave up.  And then we get there, and it all seemed so unreal.  I was actually standing in front of Cinderella’s castle.  I could see the characters I had grown to know so well.  And I have to imagine my parents smiling to themselves, watching us take it all in, and knowing that they had provided something for us that we would remember forever.  I want to have that same smile spread across my face as I watch my child ask Minnie Mouse for an autograph or ride “It’s A Small World” with them.

3.)  School Events (sports, theater performances, science fairs, etc.)

It doesn’t matter to me what my child excels at, I just hope that they have a strong interest in something; and preferably, something that I can attend to cheer them on.  I didn’t involve myself with a lot of extracurricular activities.  I was more of the “afraid-to-try-and-end-up-humiliating-myself” mindset.  But of the things I did try, like cross-country and plays, my parents always made it a point to be present and provide morale support.  Sure, they were there when I ran across a finish line so hard that I puked my guts out, and the time the music cut out as I was singing on stage and had to fake my way to the end, cracked-voice and all.  But the point was that they were there.  And someday, I will be there, too, assuring them that the puke will come out of their shoes and that no one noticed their voice cracking.

What about you?  What were the moments you were most excited about sharing with your kid?  Let me hear it!