About a month ago, my little boy started Pre-School. He’s growing so fast and honestly, it breaks my heart. I want him to stay little forever. My daughter too; she is 8 going on teenager it feels like. Life is really flying by and it makes me so sad that they are growing so fast. I feel like I’m standing aside and they are just passing me by.
Connor is loving school. He is taking off into his class without saying goodbye. He tells me he doesn’t need me when he goes to the bathroom. He tells me he can put his own clothes on. I just want make it last a little longer. Who knows that the future holds, he could be my last baby and he’s just not even a baby anymore.
Lately, my Connor has been climbing into my bed in the middle of the night. It’s not too bad considering my husband works graveyard most nights, so I have the bed to myself for the most part. Still, I would make him get back into his own bed and would probably spend the next hour or so continuing to tell him to go back to bed. At one point, I gave up and would just let him join me because we both needed to sleep.
When my husband would get home from work, he would have to move him in order to go to sleep and he repeatedly asked me to put him back in his bed so he could get to sleep on time. I started, again telling Connor to go back to his own bed.
This past Tuesday, Connor was in pre-school and the teacher told my mom when he was picked up that Connor seemed kind of off. He was sad and told them he missed “his mommy.” It messed me up because I miss my little boy too. That night, when he climbed into my bed I let him stay.
When my husband came home, he asked why Connor was back in the bed. I told him, he’s only going to be little for so long. He’s not going to do this forever. I reminded my husband that our daughter used to do the same thing and at one point as she got a little older, she stopped. I know Connor will too, but in the mean time I’m going to let him climb into my bed at night. I will cherish those sweet little kicks in my back and the hand that always ends up in my face.
Children have a way of just growing up too fast and we just need to let them be little. Even if it means helping them out when you know they can do it themselves. Connor loves to be lazy in the morning on the way to the car and I let him ride in the stroller. My husband always tells me that I should make him walk. I just want him to be little.
I’m going to listen when he wants to tell me his stories, or sing his songs. It won’t be long before he decides he’s too big for that and I’m going to cherish each and every one of them.
Sometimes he “struggles” with his shoes and I willingly help him put them on. . I know he can put his shoes on, I know he can brush his teeth, I know he can put most of his clothes on now and count to 15. I know he can pick up his toys and put them away himself, but when he begs for help I just want him to be little.
Him asking for all these things means that he’s little enough that he still WANTS my help. It won’t last long, I know it. And I’m grateful for every single moment. At some point in the near future, he’s going to be all about doing everything on his own, just like my daughter did.
I wish I would have thought about it sooner, maybe I would have realized how fast he was growing up and I wouldn’t have said no so much when he asked if he could bring a toy with him to the store. I look out at my mess of toys sprawled around my living room, and notice he is jumping from toy to toy. Part of me is annoyed at the amount of toys he has and the other part of me in jumping for joy over the fact he’s being little and playing with them.
I think for the time being, I’m going to let him be little and let him climb into that bed. I’m going to help him when he asks for help because it will only be for a short while. I’m going to list to him talk and remember all these sweet moments. I’m going to get as many cuddles and as many kisses as he will allow because I know it won’t last forever.
Please, let them be little just a little while longer. I know it won’t be easy, but I know you will enjoy it because I am.
As I sit here writing this he’s singing, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” in his own words and his own version. The cuteness of it all, just makes me melt and I don’t want it to end. I’m going to enjoy as much of it as I can, and I hope you do too.
As the words to the song go.
“So let them be little, cause they’re only that way for a while.
Give them hope, give them praise, give them love, every day.
Let em cry, let em giggle, let them sleep in the middle.” – Billy Dean, 2004
