There’s so much I won’t miss about my kids being little. I won’t miss diaper changes and helping with the potty. I won’t miss someone needing something for the first 10 minutes of dinner every night, and the cold food that I end up with. I won’t miss someone constantly hanging all over me. But there’s plenty I do love about my kids being little–and I’ll miss this stage before I know it.
1.Bedtime routines and snuggles
I know that my kids will eventually just stop needing me at bedtime. There will come a night when Harlyn won’t need me to pray with her, talk together, and finally rub her back til she falls asleep. There will come a time when Maverick will no longer want me to take the last 15 minutes of his day to snuggle on the couch together watching Mickey. He won’t want me to sing lullabies with my off-key, terrible voice only my kids could love. So while bedtime can certainly be frustrating and never-ending some nights, I try to remember that in the blink of an eye, my babies will be saying “Night, Mom” and heading off to bed all on their own.
2. “I love you, Mommy”
I’m pretty sure my kids will always tell me they love me, but they won’t always have the sweet little voices they do right now. And somewhere along the way, they’ll start calling me “Mom” full time instead of just every once in a while. But right now, at ages 5 and 2, one of my very favorite things is all the times my kids will come up to me and just tell me, unpromoted, that they love me. They’ll give me a big ol’ hug and I just know that their “I love you” is sincere and fierce. They love me so incredibly much, and I love them more than they will ever know.
3. Their stinky morning breath
Yes, I know this one sounds insane. But there will come a day when their morning breath is teenage morning breath. And then it just won’t be cute. But when they are this little, the moment their eyes open, they need their mama. So when I go into their rooms and kiss their adorable faces and get to ask them “How was your night?” just to hear them say “Good!”–I’m not gonna fret about their breath. I’m just going to realize how incredibly blessed I am to have two healthy kids wake up each morning to tell me they had a good night’s rest and breathe all over me as I hold them tight.
4. Johnson and Johnson Bedtime Lotion
Ok, haters of all non-organic products or whatever issue J&J brings up for you, just skip this one and head to #5. But if you don’t think using Johnson and Johnson makes me a bad mother, read on. 😉 I LOVE when my kids smell like the bedtime lotion. That lavender smell on their freshly washed skin…it’s the BEST. I even still use the matching bedtime wash for both of them because I love it so much. I’ll probably force Harlyn to use it for as long as I can! Once my kids grow out of me slathering the bedtime wash and lotion all over them, I will totally miss it.
5. “Mommy, I need you”
When Harlyn was younger, she started calling us from her bedroom in a very specific way and tone. If she woke up, or was done with nap/quiet time, or is otherwise in her bedroom and can’t freely come out, she has always said “Mommy (or Daddy–depends on her mood), I need you!” Over time, Mav has learned to copy this exactly, tone and everything. So much so, that if the kids call when I’m asleep, it takes me another time of hearing them to know which kid is even calling for us. Mav has also learned the art of turning up the dial–as the kids get no response on the first call, they will also turn up the intensity of their calling in the exact same tone. It’s WILD. How can a 5 and 2 year old of different genders sound exactly alike?? Anyway, when no one yells “Mommy, I need you” anymore, it will crush my soul (and I’m only slightly exaggerating).
6. Those cheeks
Harlyn kept her cheeks (you know, those amazing chubby cheeks of toddlers) for like, almost 4 years. She has finally become all “elementary-age” looking. There’s simply no preschooler left in her. But Maverick still has his cheeks! He’s got the most squishable cheeks, and every day I kiss his cheeks as much as I can get away with! And even though Harlyn just has regular big kid cheeks these days, I still kiss hers as much as possible too. Even though they aren’t chubby, they are still soft and perfect and I know, much like everything else, that there will come a day when neither of my babies will allow me to kiss their cheeks.
What about you? What will you miss as your kids grow up?
