Yellow is the colour of happiness

Once happy to pose for the camera. The boy-child at South Head, Kaipara, NZ. Photo: Su Leslie 2002

As the boy becomes a man, gone are the yellow t-shirts, the sunny smiles and sadly, the golden hair – now almost always hidden under a cap or beanie.

Gone too the days when I could pick up my little bundle of exuberance and hug him close – on my terms rather than his.

I spent much the boy-child’s early years suffering from post-natal depression and didn’t enjoy a lot of the time I spent “being a parent.” But for a constellation of reasons, I was a very full-time parent, and so alongside the hours and days of boredom, anxiety, desperation and sometimes rage, were others filled with laughter and learning, beach trips and baking, singing silly songs and a quiet sort of happiness and pleasure in his company.

I’m counting down to the boy-child’s sixteenth birthday and trying to capture and save memories. Because in the words of Joni Mitchell:

Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you’ve got
Til its gone

And I make no apology for including the Counting Crows cover Big Yellow Taxi. The band features heavily on the soundtrack to the boy-child’s early life.

This post was written in response to Ailsa’s Travel Theme over at Where’s my Backpack. You can see Ailsa’s post on “yellow” here or read some other posts I’ve enjoyed:

Travel Theme: Yellow

http://samokan.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/summer-and-autumn/

http://jobryantnz.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/travel-theme-yellow/

2-11-14 Weekly Travel Theme: Yellow (Iteration Department)

http://lingeringvisions.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/travel-theme-yellow/

Travel Theme: Yellow

http://prettypacked.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/the-yellow-brick-man/

http://k2incanada.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/travel-theme-yellow/

http://sunriseadventures.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/travel-theme-yellow/

http://sasieology.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/travel-theme-yellow/

Travel Theme: Yellow (The Hidden Valley)

2-8-14 Travel Theme Yellow (Kidnapped Edition)

http://suitcasey.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/travel-theme-yellow/

http://geriatrixfotogallerie.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/gala-dali/

http://timwolversonphotos.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/travel-theme-yellow/

http://soletusknow.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/travel-theme-amarelo/

http://emiliopasquale.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/travel-theme-yellow/

And here is what has gone before in this countdown:

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/wordless-wednesday-bright-eyes/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/10/10-things-tuesday-hes-ready-to-leave-home-when/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/09/on-writing-wishes-and-not-re-inventing-the-wheel/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/six-word-saturday-who-said-boys-cant-wear-pink/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/when-two-heads-are-so-much-better-than-one/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/06/family-photo-friday-kids-no-more/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/05/three-weeks-out-and-ive-organised-nothing/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/on-the-importance-of-grandparents/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/on-counting-and-gender-stereotypes/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/02/getting-over-the-grumps/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/02/01/weekly-photo-challenge-object/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/01/31/six-word-saturday-on-being-allowed-a-weekend-sleep-in/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/01/30/on-raising-children-and-not-getting-enough-sleep/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/01/29/back-to-school-for-the-last-time/

https://zimmerbitch.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/wordless-wednesday-remembering-birthdays-past-and-counting-down-to-a-big-one/