Nutgraf

Alison reminds us of the temporal limitations of whatever ails us.

When my daughter was 5 days old, and I was a hormonal mess, I called a more experienced mom, and said, “Tell me it gets better. WHEN does it get better?” and she said, “hang on, let me ask my husband.” He had some ideas (all of which ranged into months, which just made me cry more), but then said, “Remember: This too shall pass.”

So that’s my best advice ever received: this too shall pass. The bad stages, the not-sleeping, the tantrums, the hitting, the not-eating, the climbing the furniture, and on and on into parenting challenges I’ve not yet experienced, it all passes. But this too: the good stuff, the big-eyed baby, the falling asleep in your arms, the learning to walk, the screaming with joy when you walk in the room, the kid referring to herself with a pet name, that passes too. There’s no holding on or slowing down, but it’s worth remembering.

– Alison

My dad says something similar. But his goes like this: “This too shall pass. And shall be followed by more misery and pain. I prefer Alison’s today.

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