Growing Up

I think one of the quintessential dilemmas facing parents of growing children is that the kids desperately want to be bigger and the parents desperately want them to enjoy being small. Every day, Parker drinks his milk and eats a single bean (don't ask) because he wants to get stronger and taller. He runs into our bedroom in the morning asking hopefully, "Did I grow mommy?"

Now, I'm not one of those parents that wants their kid to stay a baby. In fact, for me it's the opposite. I love watching Parker get more advanced because it opens the door for us to do more things together. However, I desperately want him to be present in the moment and to not always be thinking of the following year. I was that kind of kid. Nine going on 35. I was serious and cautious and generally couldn't wait to be an adult.

What was I thinking!?!

So each day, I try to tell Parker one thing that is wonderful about being three. I want him to love his threes and remember them because the fours are just around the corner. Each day of childhood is so precious, especially when one in loved and cherished and taken care of. I feel like each year is so short and so many things can happen (good and bad) that it's imperative that we make the best of today.

So, while I will love seeing the man that will eventually fill his father's shoes, I can't wait to see all of the years in between. I have a feeling they're going to be great ones.