Accepting the fate…. Kids really do grow up fast!

Accepting the fate…. 

Kids really do grow up fast!

A few weeks ago my first born turned eight. My husband thought this would be a good time to let emotional momma know that she is half way to driving age. That hit me like a ton of bricks. Then while hanging out with one of her friends, the mom says, “Don’t you think it’s crazy that they are now the big kids at school” Wait, slow down, and let me cry for a minute. 8 years old. Third grade. Time for me to accept the fact that she’s growing up. 

Gone are the days when she needed me to feed her or wanted me to hold her hand in the store. Gone are the days where she would rather swing with mom than play with kids on the playground. Gone are the days of buckling her seatbelt, carrying her to bed, and keeping her within sight at all times. 

Now we are faced with all new parenting battles. Where did this teenage sized attitude come from? Is she going to have a teacher that meshes with her personality? Are the bullies going to pick on her again? And of course, the things she constantly asks like “When can I get a phone?” “When can I stay home alone?” and “Why isn’t my bedtime later?"

And once in a while, like this morning, I get a glimpse back to my precious little baby when she climbs in bed with me early in the morning, or when she snuggles me on the couch. And some days are even better when she quietly brings me coffee in bed, sneaks in to be the first to see her little brother in the morning or asks to do my hair. 

So, I will continue to stock pile the school pictures, the artwork and the notes with friends in the big Tupperware bin in the attic, next to the bins of her baby blankets & gear I can’t come to part with. I’ve had a quilt made of her baby clothes and a teddy bear of her first fleece sleeper so I can always have a part of that baby girl while the yearly soccer magnet collection keeps growing me, forever reminding me that she is growing up.

With every day & every smile I see her growing up it reminds me to cherish the moments as much as possible with my second and to not rush the days. Cherish every moment, day, week. Cherish every smile, laugh and tear. Cherish all of it, because it moves so fast.