On Monday, I sent AJ off to his first day of First Grade. He confidently donned his backpack full of school supplies and ran (yes, literally RAN) to school. A year of kindergarten taught him to love school….and I love that!
Every day AJ reminds me that he is getting bigger and that I no longer have a baby (or toddler or even pre-schooler) in the house. The signs are everywhere:
- He is in school full time – every day!
- He dresses himself (and he usually picks things that match!)
- He can pour himself a bowl of cereal and milk
- He can make himself a “ham and may-nays sam-lich”
- He can read!!
- He asks very deep questions, like “When I get married, you are going to miss me, because I will have to live with my wife instead of you, right?”
However, there are still plenty of signs that he’s not completely grown up quite yet, and for now I am going to hold on to those things and cherish them, as much as I may want him to “grow out of them.”
- He still wears GoodNites® Underwear every night….and they are almost always wet in the morning
- I find him in my bed nearly every morning….he still wants to cuddle with mommy!
- When I walk him to school, he holds my hand.
- I frequently catch him talking “baby talk” at home. Argh!
- He is not quite ready to fold his clothes on his own (might as well leave them in a pile!)
- He calls me “Mommy”
Although I sometimes get tired of finding his GoodNites® pants wet every morning or hearing him revert to his “baby talk,” I know that pretty soon he will grow out of those things, too. I celebrate his achievements and rejoice when he learns something new, but I also realize that each of these steps – big and small – is leading him away from that little boy that I still want to hold on to.
Someday soon he might not want to cuddle or hold my hand or call me “Mommy” anymore. As much as I won’t miss the baby talk and the bedwetting, I will miss those good things about having a little one.
He’s growing up.
It’s a good thing. But it’s a sad thing, too.
Please note: I am participating in the GoodNites® Blogger Ambassador program and I am compensated for my time. The thoughts and experiences expressed here are my own.
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It goes crazy-fast!