The Last Summer Before Everything Changes…

On firsts, lasts, and the ordinary days that become our favourite memories.

My five year old is currently in that magical, and yet slightly heartbreaking phase of life.

He’s learning, growing and changing so fast, that I feel like I’m tottering behind him, while still tightly holding his dummy and bottle of milk in both hands.

And summer, as much as I love her, she is not helping. She’s speeding up the whole process, as I’m almost sure he’s grown taller over the weekend, like the sunflower we grew for his school.

Just in the last few weeks, he’s learnt to ride his bike, lost his first tooth, and today he lost his second baby tooth. He had his first ever sports day and did amazingly in the egg and spoon race with his cool and calm demeanour.

Watching these little precious moments unfold has made me sit back and reflect internally this past week on the firsts and the lasts in life.

I really feel that we always seem to notice the firsts…

The first steps.
The first words.
The first day of school.
The first time they ride a bike.

But I don’t think we ever really realise when we’re living through a last time or moment, and that’s what’s been on my mind.

The last summer before they stop wanting to hold your hand on the way home from the park.

The last time they needed you to help them with putting their toothpaste on their tooth brush or helping them with their trainers.

The last time a moment feels ordinary before you realise it was actually something you’ll miss.

And the funny thing is that people will kindly warn you about this when your baby first arrives into the world and you will brush it off like it’s never going to happen. Like your baby has some sort of secret magical power yet to reveal itself, and that your little one will stay small forever.

But, on the other hand you want them to be independent and capable, you want them to be able to put on their own shoes because you need them to get out of the door and not fall behind their peers…

And maybe that’s the strange thing about all of this, the firsts arrive with excitement, but the lasts, often pass us by.

The last summer before secondary school.

The last summer before someone stops asking if you’ll push them on the swings.

The last summer before they decide they’re too old for splashing in a paddling pool, or building blanket forts or holding your hand in public (side note: uhhh, im emotional writing this sentence!!!)

Right now, it’s just another July and just a week of ordinary simple days that we’re rolling with.

When I think back to my childhood, there was a summer that divided my life into a before and after, I just didn’t know it at the time.

You probably have a similar summer memory too.

It was the last summer before everything changed…

The last summer before going to a new school with new friends and even bigger worries.

The last summer before life became measured in timetables, structure and routines, instead of endless afternoons.

I didn’t wake up one morning thinking, I should definitely savour this for as long as possible because next year will be so different… Nope, I just simply lived it.

And really that’s the thing about lasts, they just end.

Now as a mum to two small children, I find myself wondering how many last summers we’re living through without knowing.

The last summer before one child becomes tall enough to walk ahead, instead of beside me, holding the side of the pushchair.

The last summer before family holidays need more persuading than planning.

It’s definitely a bittersweet thought and it does remind me to pay attention and savour the moments as much as possible.

The freshly cut grass, stuck to bare feet, all left in little clumps by the front door, the toys scattered everywhere in the living room, and the most beautiful, infectious, laughter lightening up our home.

These are the moments that become our memories and maybe that’s why I don’t want to spend this Summer rushing towards autumn, as much as I love the cozy season.

There will be time for comfy cozy evenings, fresh notebooks and warm jumpers soon enough, it’s not very far away at all.

But for right now, I want to notice the sound of my children playing, and the smell of sun cream whilst it lasts.

I want to get lost in watching the washing dancing on the washing line and the few extra hours of daylight that somehow make an ordinary weeknight, feel like a tiny holiday.

One day, this summer will become another story we tell ourselves and we’ll remember little snippets rather than whole weeks in our old memories.

So if there’s one thing I hope to carry through the rest of this summer while it’s here today, in 2026, it’s this… We don’t have to know we’re living through the good old days to treat today as if it matters. Sometimes, our most beautiful memories are the result of us carefully paying attention while we’re still living them.

Wishing you and your family, a beautiful and memorable Summer.

Thanks for your time today.

Jo, Your Precious Seconds ♥️

(All photos have been taken from Pinterest. Thank you so much to all of the artists, photographers and creative curators on Pinterest who allow me to share my words along side their stunning pictures.)