A Mother’s love is whole …

“A mother’s love is whole no matter how many times divided …”

I write this blog post today in honor of my youngest son’s 18th Birthday! It’s hard to believe he’s grown into adulthood, time sure flew by! …

In this blog post I will share photos of two baby Great Egret siblings and their mama as well as share some thoughts on parenting. Photos were taken in St. Augustine, Florida this past week (June 21, 2022).

As a mom of two boys, close in age (21 months apart), I can sort of relate to how these bird parents must feel during nesting season. It can be a bit chaotic. As I watched, the mom and dad birds were constantly dealing with hungry babies or shall I say “hangry” at times. They would squawk and grab and pull at mama’s beak and more. The parents would fly off to get more food and come back to the same craziness. It looked so tiring …

Being a parent isn’t always easy. During those younger years especially, you can just feel plain wiped out and feel like you are running on “auto-pilot”. Anyone? I have seen the mama and papa birds sleep whenever they could, especially after the nest was made and before the chicks hatched. I can imagine just how worn out they must be by the time the chicks fledge …

As our children get older, the worries increase. Sometimes it’s just plain tough. I guess for the birds, it’s easier, because once their babies are fledglings, they leave the nest. And eventually they fly off on their own and the parent birds don’t have to feed them anymore. I guess for people, it’s similar, it just takes a lot longer … 18 years (or longer) …

I know for me, as a mom of two young men now, even though they are both still living at home, life feels a little different. It will take an adjustment period, I’m sure. I am thankful for all the years together. Though it isn’t/wasn’t always easy, I feel blessed beyond measure …

As I look at these baby bird siblings, I think back to when my two were young and reminisce about all the fun times, as well as challenging times. My advice to parents of young children, cherish “every” moment and don’t rush them to grow up! It will happen soon enough. Every day is a blessing and everything you go through together matters …

I hope you enjoyed my photos of the baby egrets. I have many more baby bird photos, and will hopefully share more soon. Until then, go check out my Instagram for more of my photos. If you liked the post, leave a reply, thanks! ~Kristina

“Nothing else will ever make you as happy or as sad, as proud or as tired, as motherhood.”- Elia Parsons

Happy Birthday to my son, Nick! Love you!💙

{All photos taken by me, please do not print or share photos without permission.}