How critical is it to be there for baby’s ‘firsts?’

It was a recent weekday and my son was with a family member versus our normal daycare service.

I was sitting at work and had a few minutes to check my Facebook page. And I was surprised by what I saw.

It was pictures of my 4-month-old son standing in the sand at the beach. There were wide shots and closeups of his little toes and smiles abounded.

But instead of being charmed with his infinite cuteness, I was sad … and a little angry.

I had wanted to share that moment with him — to see the look on his face when he felt the strange warmth and softness of beach sand squishing between his toes. The comments under the photo alluded to the fact that he didn’t care for the prickly sensation of grass under his feet, which just deepened my angst.

I shared my feelings with the family member, saying I wanted to be there for as many first moments as I can.

But where do you draw the line?

My understanding of first moments encompasses developmental things — rolling over, crawling, first tooth, walking, first word — and experiences — swimming, different textures under the feet, petting zoo.

But I am firmly aware that these feelings are driven solely by my selfish need to be there for my own benefit. I know it won’t make much difference to him if I’m there or not.

So how long does a first-time parent keep this up? After the first birthday? After all the firsts I can think of have been exhausted? After someone hosts an intervention and says they are sick of my obsessiveness?

I’m sure the novelty has a natural way of fading away as the realities of life settle in for the next decade. And, let’s face it, there are some firsts I’m dreading — the first potty training accident, the first time he repeats a cuss word someone errantly said.

But, for now, everything he does is precious and I want to see as much of it as I can. I dare someone to stop me!