Obviously you know that sometime around their late teens, early twenties they’ll move out. Obviously you know that in their mid-teens, they’ll probably start driving. These are big milestones, moments when suddenly, heartbreakingly, you’ll get to see so much less of them—because they’ll be independent, because they’ll be in control.

But maybe, probably, this will all happen even sooner than you think.

Well before they’re 16, they’ll be riding their bike to their friends’ houses. Well before 16, they’ll be basically living at their friends’ houses.

We all wrongly think of these milestones as points our kids will reach someday, as opposed to transitions that are already ongoing. We all think we have more time than we do. We are losing our children right now—they are moving out and on as you read this, they are pulling away, becoming independent from the very moment they start to crawl.

Don’t fool yourself. You’re not losing them ‘someday’ in the future—you are in fact losing them now, every day. It’s ongoing. So be present. Be here with them in the moment, every moment.

They’re growing up before your eyes. Make sure you see it.

With young kids at home, Sam and I wanted to be able to remember—at any moment—to slow down and savor our time with them. That’s why we made the Daily Dad Tempus Fugit Medallion. It’s a tangible reminder (I keep mine in my pocket) that we need to appreciate this fleeting time.

Grab your Tempus Fugit Medallion today at the Daily Dad Store and don’t take another minute of their childhood for granted.