First

Picture a twenty-month-old baby sitting on a potty for the first time. There's a good chance that you can't hear the sound of poo-poo going into the toilet bowl. You don't need me to tell you that the laughter and victory cheering ("Hurray!") from the parents are the loudest at that very moment.

Seeing a baby grow has been a fountain of joy for our family. The baby's first smile. The first word of "mama." Her first step. The first sentence "It's wet because it rains." Most parents would rate these key milestones even higher than that of Neil Armstrong's moon landing. We will never forget them. Ever.

For every first moment, I'd been reminded, there is another moment when it ends. We tend to remember the beginning and then forget the end. You will remember when the first tooth appeared, but won't be able to tell when the baby stops biting her toys. You remember the first "Why" and never realise when the kid stops the "why's" (and, of course, the answer should be the beginning of "Why not?").