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SALT LAKE CITY — It was in the middle of a lazy moment on the couch that I realized my world was growing — quite literally.
My 4-year-old and I were snuggling. I’d like to tell you we were reading books. Really, we were watching cartoons, probably something with animated dinosaurs. But dinosaurs speak to his soul. He can be ferocious just like a mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. Heaven knows we battle it out daily, his strong will fighting to dominate.
But in this moment, he was sweet. (He assures me dinosaurs can be gentle too.) He rested his head on my shoulder and slipped his little hand into mine. I glanced down and noticed something different about his hands.
I didn't mind him getting taller. ... But what I saw in that lazy moment, his hand in mine, really bothered me.
He’d experienced a least one big growth spurt recently. That was evident by the space between the top of his shoes and the hem of his jeans, his socks peaking through, reminding me I needed to buy him new pants.
I didn’t mind him getting taller. Tall means it’s finally time for roller coasters and water parks. It means he’s big enough to get himself a glass of water and set the table for dinner.
But what I saw in that lazy moment, his hand in mine, really bothered me.
His once-chubby baby hands were gone. Gone were the little dimples marking his knuckles, reminding me my little boy was still a toddler. His fingers were now thin, his nails a little dirty. And he had knuckles.
I’m a young mom of four kids, two of them still in diapers. But I’ve already experienced my daughter shoot up like a weed and venture off to school all day. She’s always seemed so big, and secretly I’ve loved that.
My daughter being my oldest, I wrongfully anticipated each new, big-girl thing she did. It was a rookie-mom mistake. She was only little once. I realized my error and have since begged my children to stay little forever.
The days are long, but the years are short.
–Gretchen Rubin, author
Of course, they didn’t listen. And now my son’s chubby little baby hands are gone.
There is a phrase that now stays with me always. I discovered it while reading Gretchen Rubin’s best-selling book "The Happiness Project." It’s her Third Splendid Truth.
“The days are long, but the years are short.”
So, I took several extra moments and held my 4-year-old’s hand in mine. I held it as long as he would let me. He was big now, growing all too fast. But his hand was still little. And precious.
Thankfully, I’ve still got two more sets of chubby little hands to hold. But they will change too because the years are so very, very short.
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Nicole and her husband are raising four children, 7 years and younger, including twin boys. All of them growing up way to fast. She is a communication consultant, writer and public speaker. Read more from Nicole at www.MyEverthingElse.com.*
