passage

i rummage through old photographs. odd that i do not remember the children changing in any way and yet their childhood images are completely discongruous with their present. do other parents feel this way, i wonder? there is this strangely unreal sensation looking at now unfamiliar likenesses and this sneaky gasp of relief that we are quite done with deciduous dentition. 

we have enough years of memories to tell stories from now. we can say, years ago, when the children were little, like something back in the mists of time, and it would scarcely be exaggeration. that's a nice feeling, like we have arrived at some family milestone.