Where Did My Baby Go?

Parenting

My strong-willed child is growing up

It’s happening right before my eyes.

My kid is growing taller, losing her baby fat, and her interests are changing.

Her personality is amazing, her intelligence leaves me in awe and her humor cracks me up. I joke that I can’t wait until she’s self-sufficient, but at eight years old, she made herself breakfast one morning and I felt some kind of way. It was just cereal and yogurt, but it was yet another of those moments that feels like a break in the parental link. Like when she weaned herself from breastfeeding or left on the school bus for the first time as a kindergartener.

The biggest change I’ve noticed is that more times than not, she responds maturely in situations that just six months ago, she would have pitched a fit about.

Don’t get me wrong: I am so glad when my requests are met with a ‘yes, mommy’ instead of grumbling, stomping, or whining. In fact, I had become so accustomed to the struggle of it all that I was thrown for a loop the first time she simply said ‘okay’.

I’m sorry, what?

That’s it?

No dramatics, no struggle, just ‘okay’ when I tell her that electronics time is over or to clean up her room?

I will cherish these moments as I can only imagine what the teenage years will bring.

Admittedly, I love to see these little precursors of her growing up.

Just a little teary that my baby’s not a baby anymore.

Any other mamas out there in the same place I am?

If you enjoyed reading my work, consider signing up for a Medium membership. It costs $5/month for access to every single article on Medium, including articles by thousands of different writers. By signing up using my referral link, I’ll receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Related posts:

Password management is a thing that many people feel very strongly about. Many folks don’t like passwords and hope for a better way. But other folks have a solid system built around their password…

These are just a few of the many great Asian countries to study business. When choosing a country, you’ll need to consider your own interests and goals. But no matter which country you choose, you’re…

We set out to create a groundbreaking NFT reveal experience, complete with an evolutionary quest system that impacts your NFT leading up to the reveal. Those who participated in the mint have…